If you are having problems sleeping understanding the mechanism behind getting to sleep and how it rejuvinates you might help you figure out the problem of what is keeping you conscious. Slumber is not as easy as you think because you aren’t necessarily up or asleep. The’re a number of matters that happen once your head falls on to the pillow and you shut your eyes that contributes to how soundly or how softly you will rest.
Drowsiness is the first stage of sleeping and this is where your muscles relax, you start to feel tired, and your eyes will drift closed on their own. This is the fastest developing phase, usually between five and ten. The next stage is light stage often called stage two and in this state your temperature and respiratory system retreat. Your heart rate should also become slower during this part of sleep.
Stages three and four are easily determined to be deep sleep and are where it should be hard to wake up. You might feel a bit dopey and unable to come awake promptly but this important sleep stage allows your brain to rest while the circulatory system slows, at which point it begins to rejuvenate the body. It is important to note that there is a increased level of immune action during these two vital stages of your good night’s rest.
The most fascinating stage is called stage five or REM sleep and is generally thought of as the dreaming phase of a good night’s rest. Entering and exiting this cycle happens many times during sleep so you might have anywhere from three to five 70-90 minute long sessions during your period of REM. This intricate stage of sleeping is determined by several physical conditions such as various types of breathing that are both shallow and deep. You could also show signs of a rise in heart rate and blood pressure.
This particular portion of the entire sleep cycle is good for helping your mind process heavy emotions, stress reduction and providing a benefit to the person sleeping. People who sleep lightly are stuck in the early sleep stages and hardly ever make it to phases three and four where they need to be in order to obtain the most rest possible. People who have difficulty waking up probably hanging around too long in deep sleep and awake suddenly rather than come awake through the various stages of sleep.
The stages of sleep also change based on the time you have spent in each sleep stage through the previous week, so if you spend too much time in a heavy sleep one night the next night you may spend more time in REM or light sleep. Ultimately however it balances out and you’ll likely spend equal amounts of time in every stage of sleep. That’s why it is more true that you cannot make up on sleep but you can catch up on rest.
