Each stage is equally important and affects your mental and physical health. Read on to find out more…

How You Sleep?

Did you know your body goes through various stages while you are asleep?
Each stage is equally important and affects your mental and physical health. Read on to find out more.

Mental health and quality sleep are inextricably linked. By obtaining ample, restful slumber each night, you can reduce stress levels and foster improved mental well-being.

Overview

Sleep is an important activity to maintain overall good health. It helps in repairing muscles, grow bones, manage hormones and store our memories.

Each night when you fall asleep, your body goes into a rollercoaster of sleep cycles. These stages determine how you feel the next day when you wake up. Keep on reading, to find out about different stages of sleep and how they affect your brain and body.

Sleep is divided into four stages: awake, light sleep, deep sleep and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. These four stages are further categorised into NREM (Non-REM) and REM phases. 
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The NREM phase consists of awake, light, and deep sleep, while the REM phase (also known as Stage-R) consists of the REM sleep.

NREM and REM indicate the eye movement patterns at a particular stage. This is a natural process and it&rsquo;s important that an individual goes through all the stages to ensure good cognitive and physical health.

On average, each <a href="https://merisehat.pk/article/are-you-sleeping-on-your-sleep-cycle">sleep cycle stage</a> lasts about 90-120 minutes. A typical night of sleep consists of four to five sleep cycles. In the first half, the NREM stage takes over, while the second half mainly consists of the REM stage. 
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Stages of A Sleep Cycle

NREM Phase: It happens first, so the person is in deep sleep during this phase.

REM Phase: It occurs after the NREM phase; this is where dreams usually occur. 
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<h5>NREM Stage 1</h5>

This stage is when the person is in between the state of sleep and wakefulness. It is basically light sleep, short in duration (approximately 10 minutes), and the person can wake up easily.

When people wake up from this stage, it is as if they hadn&rsquo;t slept. For this reason, power naps shouldn&rsquo;t last more than 20 minutes. This is because the person then enters the deep sleep stage and waking up during that stage leaves them feeling groggy instead of refreshed. In that case, don&rsquo;t just settle for a power nap, aim for a complete sleep cycle, i.e., 90 minutes! 
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NREM is characterised by:

<ul>
	<li>Slow eye movements</li>
	<li>Slowdown in respiration and heartbeat</li>
	<li>Relaxation of muscles</li>
	<li>Decrease in core body temperature</li>
	<li>Reduced brain activity or slow wave sleep 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h5>Stage 2</h5>

This stage is still considered a light sleep stage. This is also the stage where the person spends their greatest time during a sleep cycle. However, it&rsquo;s easy to wake up as this is the time during N2 since a person is yet to enter the deep sleep. 
This stage is where long term memories are formed and consolidated. 
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Common characteristics of this stage are:

<ul>
	<li>Slower eye movements and breathing patterns than stage 1</li>
	<li>No eye movement</li>
	<li>Body temperature drops</li>
	<li>Appearance of spindles (burst of fast brain waves) on the ECG; these waves play a role in memory formation and sensory processing. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h5>Stage 3 </h5>

It is the final and last stage of NREM. This is the point where the person goes into deep sleep. It is also known as &ldquo;slow wave&rdquo; because brain activity is the slowest at this point.

Mostly, health promoting activities occur in this stage. Once a person reaches Stage 3, it gets difficult to wake them up. 
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Key characteristics of this stage includes:

<ul>
	<li>Deepest stage of sleep</li>
	<li>Low heartbeat and breathing rate</li>
	<li>No eye movements</li>
	<li>Repair and growth of cells and tissues</li>
	<li>Waking up is difficult</li>
	<li>Immune system functions are regulated</li>
	<li>Strengthening of the immune system, a major reason it&rsquo;s the most crucial stage for recovery and physical health. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Tips for Good Sleep

Dreams along with a variety of neurological and physiological reactions that mirror those of wakefulness occur at this stage.

Even though neuroscientists are continually exploring REM sleep, it is still rather mysterious. However, what&rsquo;s known is that the brain analyses, organises, and stores information into long-term memory during the REM sleep. Therefore, REM sleep is considered important when measuring or evaluating the brain&#39;s capacity to learn and recall.

Stage R, which is the primary &quot;dreaming&quot; stage of sleep, starts roughly 90 minutes after a person sleeps. At the beginning, stage R lasts for around 10 minutes only; however, it gets longer with each REM cycle.

During this stage:

<ul>
	<li>Eye movements become rapid</li>
	<li>Increased heart and breathing rate</li>
	<li>Almost no movement is observed in the muscles</li>
	<li>Brain activity is markedly increased 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<h4>Tips for Good Sleep</h4>

<ul>
	<li>During the day, spend time in the sunshine outside to expose your body to natural light. This maintains a healthy circadian rhythm.</li>
	<li>Dedicate some time to exercise, spending at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day to enhance the quality of your sleep.</li>
	<li>Limit your nap time to 20-30 minutes. Longer naps will make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night, thereby, affecting your sleep/wake cycle.</li>
	<li>Avoid using your phone or tablet before sleeping. Blue light from the screen suppresses the production of the sleep hormones. 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Create a comfortable, cosy atmosphere in the room. Invest in a good quality mattress, pillows, and blanket. Make sure the room is not too heated or too cold for you to sleep. 
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Bottom Line

Each night, your body goes through the four stages of sleep: three non-REM stages and one REM period. Your respiration, heart rate, muscles, and brain waves are all impacted differently during various sleep cycles. 
Sleep is crucial for the overall improvement of your mind and bodily functions, like cell and muscle regeneration, regulation of hormones and immune system, and memory consolidation.

This is why prioritise working on your sleep quality. You can do that by establishing sleep hygiene and addressing any underlying sleep conditions.

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