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The 5 Stages of Sleep
It’s a busy time in the world of schools….it may seem like we’re on a race to the finish line with much more to do! Do you feel like that? Please keep in mind that in order to be best prepared for the race, you need adequate sleep. It turns out that there are 5 major sleep stages that we all go through during the night.
Stage 1 (NREM)
In this first stage, you’re in a NREM (non-rapid eye moment) stage. This is when you’re floating in and out of consciousness. It’s that moment when you feel awake but you also notice your mind is drifting away. You may also feel your muscle jerk that wakes you up into consciousness- known as hypnic myoclonia.
Stage 2 (NREM)
Stage 2 is when you start to enter the lighter phases of sleep. About half of our sleep time is spent during this NREM stage. This is when your muscle and heart rate begins to relax, and your brain slowly dwindles down.
Stage 3 & 4 (NREM)
These next two stages are combined as they have very similar effects on your sleep, called slow wave sleep (SWS). This is known as the deepest part of the sleep cycle, and one must not be woken up during this stage. If you’ve ever been
abruptly woken up in a groggy state, you were probably experiencing slow wave sleep.
The other reason why SWS is vital is because the body rejuvenates itself during this stage. Growth hormones are released, which is used to heal muscle and tissues, and provides important oxygen and nutrients to the body.
Stage 5 (REM)
This is the final stage of the sleep cycle, and the only stage where you experience REM (rapid eye moment) sleep. While we only spend 20% of our time during this stage, it’s when the brain is most active. It’s likely the most important stage as well because the brain is revitalized for daytime functioning.
The majority of our dreams are also occurring in this final stage of sleep, and the brain waves appear as if we’re awake.
How to Improve Your Sleep Quality
The real question is, how do we actually sleep better? Here are some tips to consider:
- Blue light blues
In the digital world we live in today, the majority of poor sleep quality is due to what’s known as blue light. Studies show that we spend on average 10.5 hours a day in front of our screens (i.e. smartphones, TV, laptops). Each of these screens emit harmful blue light that suppresses melatonin, our sleep hormone. In short, this tricks our brain to feel ‘awake’ when we should be in relaxed mode. See if you can reduce screen time, especially at night. There are also computer glasses that can be worn to block blue light that some have worn during nighttime work on the computer….has anyone tried this?
- Adjust your room temperature
