Have you ever thought about what happens inside your body while you’re asleep and having sweet dreams? Your body goes through five stages while you sleep. These five sets determine the quality and quantity of sleep you’ll get as well as how you’ll feel once you’re awake. Sounds interesting, right? Let’s dig into these five stages.
Two Main Types Of Sleep
Before we go into details, you should know the two basic types of sleep. One is called REM (Rapid Eye Movement), and the other is known as non-REM. Non-REM sleep further has four stages, each one of which is described briefly below.
Stage 1 – Non-REM Sleep
Stage 1 of your non-REM can be called the “twilight” stage of sleep. You’re partly conscious at this stage because you’ve just fallen asleep. This light stage of sleep is characterized by the slow motion of eyes behind the eyelids, hence the name. The cessation of muscle movement is also observed. This is the stage of lightest sleep (50% only), where any sound or distraction in the surroundings easily awakens you.
Stage 2 – Non-REM Sleep
This is the period of rapid brain activity known as sleep spindles, or you can call them K complexes. The brain waves continue to slow down throughout stage 2, so do your heart rate, and your body temperature falls too. Stage 2 of Non-REM sleep plays its role in your long-term memory consolidation and lasts for about 20-30 minutes.
Stage 3 And Stage 4 – Non-REM Sleep
Stage 3 and 4 sleep are quite the same thing. They are one of the most vital sleep phases where your brain’s delta waves (very slow waves) are intermixed with shorter (and comparatively faster) waves. By the time you reach stage 4 of your sleep, delta waves are at their peak, and your body feels like you’ve restored all the energy lost during the day.
These are the stages of deep sleep, where some people lose consciousness almost completely. Sleepwalking, sleeptalking, and nightmares all happen somewhere between stage 3 and stage 4. Your immune system enhancement, muscle growth, and tissue repair occur during these two stages, hence the therapeutic properties.
Stage 5 – REM Sleep
During REM sleep, your eyeballs move quickly in all possible directions behind your eyelids. Most good dreams lie in REM sleep, which also plays a role in learning as it helps information to be stored for the long term. Your heartbeat and blood pressure are also exceptionally fast during this phase. On average, 20% of an individual’s sleep comprises REM sleep.
Here’s The Catch
Some disorders that can result in poor sleep cycles include sleep apnea, REM sleep disorder, narcolepsy, somnambulism, depression, and fast aging too. This is precisely why you need to know well about the phases your body goes through while you sleep and their importance in your daily life.
