Sleep Stages
Stages of Sleep
Rem Sleep and Sleep Cycles…
Normal sleep has sleep stages that occur in cycles each night. These sleep cycles vary somewhat from individual to individual, but in order to be rested, we must experience each cycle. While most people think of sleep as being an unconscious state, it really is quite different from that. Our minds and bodies are relatively active during different stages of sleep.
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While there is much that we still don’t know about sleep, scientists have identified distinct stages of sleep that occur in 90 minute cycles…
Everyone goes through the same sleep stages.
The Stages of SleepMany people believe that sleep is a single state—that you are either awake or asleep. But, after studying many people, using sophisticated equipment, scientists now know that we go through different stages of sleep, every night.Everyone goes though these stages, but different people spend different amounts of time in each stage. - Stage 1 – Hypnogogic Sleep - This is the very first stage of sleep. During hypnogogic sleep, we transition from being awake to being asleep. Hypnogogic sleep is kind of a twilight zone. We’re not really daydreaming, nor are we really dreaming. This stage only lasts for 1 to 10 minutes, and, during this stage you go from being relaxed but awake to being asleep.
Your breathing gets deeper and regular and, during this stage, you can be awakened easily—but you would say that you were not asleep! You might see flashing lights or geometric designs or you may experience a floating sensation or the feeling of falling. - Stage 2 Sleep - During this stage you are asleep. Your body is more relaxed and you become less responsive to your environment. You can still be awakened easily, but, this time, you will say that you were asleep. Stage 2 sleep lasts for about 20 minutes.
- Stage 3 Sleep - This is deeper sleep, and you cannot be awakened easily during this stage of sleep. During stage 3, your heart rate and body temperature decrease.
- Stage 4 Sleep - When you enter stage 4 sleep, you are in a very deep sleep. Attempts to awaken you with an alarm clock or other means don’t work too well. If you do awaken during this stage, you will be disoriented for a few minutes. During this stage, your heart rate, breathing, body temperature and blood pressure are at their lowest levels.
Sleep Cycles
Cycling Through the Stages of SleepThe stages of sleep are very distinct, but, you don’t just go from Stage 1 to Stage 4 and then wake up. About an hour after you fall asleep, you start to reverse the stages. You go from Stage 4, through Stage 3 and then Stage 2. Instead of going back to Stage 1, you now go through a period of REM (Rapid Eye Movement). First Sleep Cycle - The time from Stage 1 to Stage 4 and then back to Stage 2 is the first sleep cycle. Throughout the night, you will go through similar cycles, every 90 to 100 minutes.
REM or Rapid Eye MovementSome scientists consider REM to a distinct stage, different from the first four stages of sleep. During REM sleep, we have dreams that are so vivid that we frequently remember them.There is more physical activity, as well. Your eyes move rapidly. Your breathing and heart rate is fast and irregular. Blood pressure can go up or down. Men often have erections, and women have more blood flow to the vagina. Your muscles however, are unresponsive and almost paralyzed. This may be so that you can’t act out the dreams that you have during the REM sessions. Many dreams are violent or would be dangerous, if you acted them out. Throughout the night you continue to cycle in and out of REM sleep and NREM sleep (orthodox sleep). The length of sleep stages and sleep cycles varies from person to person. People who have sleep disorders may spend less time in light sleep than others.
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