Why do we need sleep?
The reason why we need to sleep is very important. If you do not get the right amount of sleep, then you will find that you will be having problems with your memory, attention span, and productivity will be greatly reduced. One of the most common diseases that people experience when they do not have enough sleep is depression, and in some cases, the level of their activity will also be decreased. This is something that most people would like to avoid because it can be a very big problem. You see, sleep is so important, and if we do not get enough of it each night, it can greatly affect our lives.
We need to understand how important sleep is before we will be able to figure out the best way to go about getting the amount of sleep that we need each night. The first thing that people need to understand is that they need to get plenty of shut-eye to have enough deep sleep. A lot of people seem to believe that they do not need to sleep if they are awake, but that is not true. Being awake while you are trying to sleep is quite dangerous because you are more prone to having an accident while you are trying to fall asleep.
Therefore, what people need to do is make sure that they get at least 8 hours of shut-eye per night. This may seem like it is not enough sleep, but in reality, it is close to being enough. The other option that people have is to turn their bedroom into a dark, quiet place, and there is nothing wrong with that. Another thing that you can do to help yourself sleep better at night is to meditate or focus on a single thing for a couple of hours before bedtime. You should do this once per day, and it will help you sleep much better at night. To get good hours of sleep you should get a good size bed. Deciding between queen size vs king size will end up giving more comfort and support to get a peaceful sleep.
Stages Of Sleep
There are two forms of sleeping: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (Non-REM). During NREM sleep, a person is awake, but their body is in deep sleep. The second stage of sleep is when a person becomes conscious. In short, a person is sleeping when they are not asleep. In terms of REM sleep, this refers to those instances when a person is awake, but their body is in deep REM sleep.
During REM, there are four major stages of sleep:
- Stage 1 is rapid eye movement,
- Stage 2 is restorative Slow REM or Sleep,
- Stage 3 is the deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep, and
- Stage 4 is the most restorative and longest-lasting of the stages of sleep.
While a person is in Stage 1 or Sleep Stage 3, they are generally awake and able to do things such as read, watch television, use the computer, drive or use the restroom. As a person gets older, they enter Stage 4, which can include vivid dreams or nightmares, dry mouth, irritability, trouble focusing, decreased mental clarity, increased feelings of fatigue or pain, and increased dependence on alcohol or prescription medications. During the REM sleep stage, they will be awake, but still in a state of dream-like awareness, such as having vivid dreams or nightmares and being able to remember them.
While many different stages of sleep make up a complete sleep cycle, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone goes through all four stages of sleep at the same time. For example, while everyone sleeps in Stage 1, it does not mean that everyone will experience all four stages of sleep at the same time. It also may take some time for people to enter each stage of sleep, and for them to get into the appropriate state for each stage of deep sleep or NREM. For your body to get the rest it needs, you must set aside time to sleep well each night and then set aside time each day to get back to sleep only when you are tired. Use good mattresses and pillows to get good sleep. The material and filling of these items also play an important part in providing good sleep. The most popular stuffing types are down, feathers and foam.
REM Sleep
Rapid eye movement sleep or REM sleep is a very unique phase of non-sleep in mammals, characterized by complete random, rhythmic, rapid eye movement (REMS) during the sleep cycle, and the tendency of the sleeper to recall dreams the following night. This state of REM sleep can occur several times per day for most people, although some individuals have an abnormally long period of REM sleep and do not remember their dreams. REM sleep has also been linked to the “dream cycle” in various studies, where subjects who were regularly exposed to mild brain-stimulating light, such as a bright light from a lamp, showed an improvement in their memory and ability to recall memory items after being exposed to it for just a short time. Other research has linked REM sleep to increased cerebral blood flow and better brain functioning.
The length of REM sleep varies significantly from one person to the next, ranging anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Although no one can pinpoint exactly how long REM sleep should be, it is clear that human sleep cycles occur in stages, from the very first moment that the body wakes up, through the various stages of REM sleep, and into the deeper stages of sleep. Stage 1 is the “restless” stage of the sleep cycle when the mind and body are both awake and alert, and the eye movement is primarily visual. Stage 2 is a more relaxed state of mind, which is usually associated with deep sleep. Stage 3 is the deepest sleep stage, which is also known as the “zoo layer” and involves a decreased need for oxygen and a general reduction of body functions.
Rapid eye movement (REMA) sleep occurs several times each day for most people, but if it doesn’t happen regularly or occurs only when the alarm clock rouses you, it may not be normal. If REM sleep occurs at night when you are sleeping and awakening several times per night, or if you awaken several times during the night, you may have sleep apnea or other conditions, such as increased brain activity. You should visit your doctor, who will be able to determine whether these symptoms are due to a physical condition or to a psychological problem. In most cases, the lack of REM sleep is simply a side effect of other problems that your body is trying to resolve, so it is easy to understand why REM sleep tends to fade away after a certain amount of time.
Non-REM Sleep
Non-REM sleep, also called delayed sleep phase or quiescent sleep, is sleep stages 1 through 3, previously called stage 1 through 5. Rapid eye movement, often called REM sleep, isn’t included in this category. There are several different EEG characteristics found in each of these stages.
Rapid eye movements, or REM, occur during the first half of the sleep cycle when a person is asleep and about to fall back asleep. A person in REM sleep has various dreams that he or she can remember. People in REM sleep have a very active mind as opposed to a person in a non-rem sleep. In non-rem sleep, a person is more inactive.
Conclusion
Non-REM sleep typically lasts for about 90 seconds and is divided into three stages. Stage one is the waking period, in which most of the body’s activities are carried out; stage two is inactive, and in stage three, the body becomes highly relaxed. During the last third of the n REM cycle, the body becomes extremely sleepy. Many symptoms indicate that a person is in one of the various REM stages such as dreaming, vivid dreams, unusual behavioral changes, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, and frequent nightmares.
