Everyone experiences 5 Sleep Stages during the night.
When you understand these 5 Sleep Stages it can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night and wake feeling restored each morning.
When one doesn't get enough sleep at night, they do not progress through these 5 Sleep Stages, this will negatively affect the quality, duration, and onset of sleep.
When this happens, many people develop Sleep Difficulties.
If these Sleep challenges are not remedied they can negatively affect one's health and relationships.
It is very hard to find your pathway to experiencing optimal health when you don't get a good night Sleep.
Human sleep consists of a succession of five recurring stages: four non-REM stages and the REM stage.
(REM=Rapid Eye Movement) Many discussions about Sleep Stages include "Waking" as a sixth stage.
The five stages of sleep, including their repetition, occur cyclically during the night.
The first cycle lasts for about 90-100 minutes and ends after the completion of the first REM stage and.
Each REM stage typically lasts longer, thus each cycle lasts longer.
A person who has no trouble sleeping may complete as many as five cycles in a normal night's Sleep.
The quality of sleep changes with each transition from one of the 5 Sleep Stages into another.
Each stage is a part of a predictable cycle whose intervals are observable and is independent from the other and is marked by subtle changes in bodily function.
Waking or relaxed wakefulness, is actually the phase in which a person falls asleep.
This is the stage in which the body prepares itself for sleep.
When a person first lies down in bed, they have tense muscles and their eyes are moving erratically.
As a person becomes more relaxed and sleepier, the body begins to slow down, muscles relax, and eye movement slows to a roll.
--Tip to help fall asleep:Using relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep can expedite this process and help a person fall asleep quicker.
Stage 1 sleep or drowsiness, is considered as first in the sequence when Waking is not included.
There is a 50% reduction in activity between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep.
The eyes are closed during Stage 1 sleep and lasts for five to 10 minutes.
Stage 2 is a period of light sleep during which there are intermittent peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves observed in the brain.
The heart rate slows, and the body temperature decreases.
(Note: You won't fall asleep until there is a decrease in body temperature.
) --Tip to help fall asleep:Taking a warm bath or shower before getting into bed makes it easier for your body to cool down and will help you fall asleep faster.
When your temperature dips, the body is now prepared to enter deep sleep.
There are two deep sleep stages.
Stage 3 is less intense than Stage 4.
These stages are known as slow-wave, or delta, sleep.
During slow-wave sleep, especially during Stage 4, the body exhibits slow waves of high amplitude, indicating a pattern of deep sleep and rhythmic continuity.
Non-REM sleep (NREM) is comprised of Stages 1-4.
Each stage lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.
REM usually sleep occurs 90-120 minutes after one enters Stage 1.
Surprisingly, Stages 2 and 3 repeat backwards before REM sleep is attained.
So, a normal sleep cycle has this pattern: waking, stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, REM.
Stage 5 is referred to as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep.
Each recurring REM stage last longer than the one before it.
The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes and the final one usually lasting an hour.
It is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states, including its characteristic rapid eye movements, accelerated respiration, muscle relaxation, and increased brain activity.
REM sleep is the time people Dream.
Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity.
Often when we are experiencing dreams our face, fingers, and legs may twitch.
Think about watching a dog in its sleep and seeing its body move as if chasing something.
The sleep cycle is varies and is influenced by many factors.
Sleep cycles following the first one in a night's sleep typically feature less slow-wave sleep.
Slow-wave, deep sleep is longest early in a night's sleep.
Insomnia often inhibits REM sleep stages and lessens one's ability to dream.
Depression and other psychological conditions can shorten the duration of rapid eye movement.
Sleep deprivation, frequently changing sleep schedule, stress, and environment all affect the progression of the sleep cycle.
Treatment for many health challenges may affects sleep, typically causing a change in sleep habits.
Check with your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping after adding a new treatment for any health challenge you may be working to resolve.
Using a Sleep Journal to track your nightly Sleep patterns can help determine if you are getting enough sleep at night, or having problems sleeping through the night.
If you wake often, you are most likely not enjoying the full benefits of the 5 Sleep Stages and will want to determine if there are natural ways to help you sleep soundly all night long.
When you understand these 5 Sleep Stages it can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night and wake feeling restored each morning.
When one doesn't get enough sleep at night, they do not progress through these 5 Sleep Stages, this will negatively affect the quality, duration, and onset of sleep.
When this happens, many people develop Sleep Difficulties.
If these Sleep challenges are not remedied they can negatively affect one's health and relationships.
It is very hard to find your pathway to experiencing optimal health when you don't get a good night Sleep.
Human sleep consists of a succession of five recurring stages: four non-REM stages and the REM stage.
(REM=Rapid Eye Movement) Many discussions about Sleep Stages include "Waking" as a sixth stage.
The five stages of sleep, including their repetition, occur cyclically during the night.
The first cycle lasts for about 90-100 minutes and ends after the completion of the first REM stage and.
Each REM stage typically lasts longer, thus each cycle lasts longer.
A person who has no trouble sleeping may complete as many as five cycles in a normal night's Sleep.
The quality of sleep changes with each transition from one of the 5 Sleep Stages into another.
Each stage is a part of a predictable cycle whose intervals are observable and is independent from the other and is marked by subtle changes in bodily function.
Waking or relaxed wakefulness, is actually the phase in which a person falls asleep.
This is the stage in which the body prepares itself for sleep.
When a person first lies down in bed, they have tense muscles and their eyes are moving erratically.
As a person becomes more relaxed and sleepier, the body begins to slow down, muscles relax, and eye movement slows to a roll.
--Tip to help fall asleep:Using relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep can expedite this process and help a person fall asleep quicker.
Stage 1 sleep or drowsiness, is considered as first in the sequence when Waking is not included.
There is a 50% reduction in activity between wakefulness and stage 1 sleep.
The eyes are closed during Stage 1 sleep and lasts for five to 10 minutes.
Stage 2 is a period of light sleep during which there are intermittent peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves observed in the brain.
The heart rate slows, and the body temperature decreases.
(Note: You won't fall asleep until there is a decrease in body temperature.
) --Tip to help fall asleep:Taking a warm bath or shower before getting into bed makes it easier for your body to cool down and will help you fall asleep faster.
When your temperature dips, the body is now prepared to enter deep sleep.
There are two deep sleep stages.
Stage 3 is less intense than Stage 4.
These stages are known as slow-wave, or delta, sleep.
During slow-wave sleep, especially during Stage 4, the body exhibits slow waves of high amplitude, indicating a pattern of deep sleep and rhythmic continuity.
Non-REM sleep (NREM) is comprised of Stages 1-4.
Each stage lasts from 5 to 15 minutes.
REM usually sleep occurs 90-120 minutes after one enters Stage 1.
Surprisingly, Stages 2 and 3 repeat backwards before REM sleep is attained.
So, a normal sleep cycle has this pattern: waking, stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, REM.
Stage 5 is referred to as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep.
Each recurring REM stage last longer than the one before it.
The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes and the final one usually lasting an hour.
It is distinguishable from NREM sleep by changes in physiological states, including its characteristic rapid eye movements, accelerated respiration, muscle relaxation, and increased brain activity.
REM sleep is the time people Dream.
Intense dreaming occurs during REM sleep as a result of heightened cerebral activity.
Often when we are experiencing dreams our face, fingers, and legs may twitch.
Think about watching a dog in its sleep and seeing its body move as if chasing something.
The sleep cycle is varies and is influenced by many factors.
Sleep cycles following the first one in a night's sleep typically feature less slow-wave sleep.
Slow-wave, deep sleep is longest early in a night's sleep.
Insomnia often inhibits REM sleep stages and lessens one's ability to dream.
Depression and other psychological conditions can shorten the duration of rapid eye movement.
Sleep deprivation, frequently changing sleep schedule, stress, and environment all affect the progression of the sleep cycle.
Treatment for many health challenges may affects sleep, typically causing a change in sleep habits.
Check with your doctor if you are having trouble sleeping after adding a new treatment for any health challenge you may be working to resolve.
Using a Sleep Journal to track your nightly Sleep patterns can help determine if you are getting enough sleep at night, or having problems sleeping through the night.
If you wake often, you are most likely not enjoying the full benefits of the 5 Sleep Stages and will want to determine if there are natural ways to help you sleep soundly all night long.
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