Sleeping! Everyone's favorite topic! Let me start
by saying, I love sleep. When I was younger, I was an early riser, ALWAYS. As
I've gotten older and began to stay up later (with homework, jobs, etc.), I
love to sleep in. My dad has always been an early riser, while my brother and
my mom have always been the late sleepers. With my dad being an early riser, he
is also a heavy sleeper. My brother is a heavy sleeper too. My mom, on the
other hand, is a very light sleeper, and I think that has something to do with
being a mom, too.
The sleeping brain has always interested me. Why do
we have certain dreams that we are just on the cusp of remembering? Why do we
sometimes have that falling feeling right before going into deep sleep? What
really is REM sleep? Are there different stages or are we just asleep or awake?
Let me start by explaining: there is a particular
sleep cycle that we all circulate through several times a night. There are
different stages: 1, 2, 3, and REM sleep.
Stage 1 sleep: this first stage is when a person's
eyes are closed, but they are just on the verge of sleep. It is very easy to
wake people who are in this stage. This is also often the stage that when they
are awoken, people say that they were never asleep.
EXAMPLE: I've just gone to bed. It's very early in
the evening; an odd time for me to be sleeping. My brother burst into my room
as I quickly open my eyes. He asks me, "Were you sleeping?" I answer,
"No, I was just resting my eyes. I was still awake."
Stage 2 sleep: this stage is when a body starts to
recognize sleep. The body starts to relax; body temperature drops and your
heart rate slows. The body is in very light sleep mode.
EXAMPLE: I've gone to bed at the normal time that I
usually do, about 10:30 pm. I worked out earlier in the evening so I'm very
tired. I fall asleep with no problem, but just as I can feel myself drifting, I
start to have a vivid dream about something silly. In the dream, I'm at my job,
carrying a tray of food. I trip and feel like I'm falling, falling, falling...until
I jerk awake in my bed, heart racing, sweating, breathing heavy. I have just
had a hypnic jerk, or an involuntary sleep twitch.
Stage 3 sleep: This stage is where you begin to
register deep sleep. You are inching closer to REM sleep. It is much harder to
wake someone in stage 3 rather than stage 1 or 2 sleep.
EXAMPLE: I’ve been asleep for a little over an
hour. As she is watching the news, my mom remembers that she forgot to ask me
for a ride to work in the morning. She comes into my room and says my name
several times with no response from me. She decides to shake me to wake me up.
With one little jerk on my arm, I’m awake, but disorientated. I hear and see my
mom talking to me, but I’m not quite following. After a few minutes, I’m more
awake and able to communicate with her.
*Stage 4 sleep: a little deeper than stage 3, right before and leading into REM
REM sleep: This is the deepest stage of sleep. One has to go
through the other stages to get to this stage. Each full sleep cycle can last
anywhere from 90-110 minutes. Each REM stage will get a little longer each
time. The first REM stage will last a short amount of time, with the next ones
getting progressively longer (the final one typically lasts about an hour). At
this stage, your body evens out its rates and breathing. In stage 2, your
breathing and heart rate tend to slow down, but in this stage, they will regain
the normal rhythm. It is also at this stage where your body rejuvenates. Tissue
growth and repair, bone and muscle building, and immune system strengthening
all take place during this stage.
If you’re someone with kids who are old enough to articulate and
understand how they slept in previous nights, see how they feel in the morning
compared to yourself. I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older (and my parents
too), I feel more tired than I used to when I was younger. My mom especially
seems to get less deep sleep and be more tired in the mornings when she gets
up. It has been proven that as one ages, it is more common to get less deep
sleep and be awoken a lot easier. One still needs just as much sleep, but it is
less likely that the older adult will get the sleep that they need.
The best thing you can do to maximize sleeping for yourself is to stay
on a schedule. Do not go to bed at 10:00 pm one night and 1:30 am the night. Do
not look at your phone right before bed or during the night. Do a relaxing
activity 30 minutes before going to bed, like reading or knitting. Happy
sleeping! Check out my next blog on sleepwalking and other disorders!
References:
Robinson, J. (Ed.). (n.d.). Stages of Sleep: REM and Non-REM Sleep Cycles. Retrieved April 11, 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-101
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