Insomnia And Sleep Cycles By: Carol Bell

If rest does not come easy for you recognizing how you sleep or recognizing the mechanics behind what makes a healthy night's slumber could be instrumental in comprehending why you have a sleep complaint. Slumber is not as easily understandable as you believe because of the various degrees of rest. There are many sleep processes that take place once your eyes close and you drop off that contributes to how deeply or how lightly you will rest.

The first stage of sleep is called stage one which is characterized by drowsiness as your feel yourself let go, your muscles fall into a limp state, and your eyes will drift closed on their own. This stage usually lasts only a few minutes somewhere around ten full minutes. Stage two of sleep is a very faint sleep and in this state your temperature and respiratory system fall considerably. Your pulse will also become slower at this point in the sleep process.

You can say stage three and four are considered "deep sleep" and are certainly where you may have difficulty waking up. You may feel groggy and be unable to adjust quickly but this vital stage in sleep allows the brain to truly "turn off" as your circulation slows, at which point it begins to rejuvenate the body. There is also a heightened level of immune action during these two important stages of rest.

Stage five is considered REM sleep and is generally considered the dreaming period of the sleep cycle. Entering and exiting this cycle happens many times during sleep so you may find yourself having several dreams during your period of REM. This part of the sleep process is defined by several physical conditions such as various types of breathing that are both irregular and shallow. You may also experience a rise in heart rate and blood pressure.

This important time in the sleep stage is vital to helping you process certain emotions for stress reduction and generally benefitting the person getting a good rest. Those who tend to sleep lighter than others are trapped in stage two and cannot seem to get to stages three and four where the best benefits of sleep reside. Those who can't wake up so easily possibly spend a longer period of time in deep sleep and rise suddenly when they wake up rather than travel through each stage on the way to waking up.

The stages of sleep also change based on the amount of each cycle you got the night before so if you spend a long time in deep sleep you might become trapped in a light sleep the next evening. Ultimately however it balances out and you will spend about the same average over time in each part of sleep, hopefully resulting in good sleep patterns. That is why it is more accurate to say that you won't catch up on sleep but you can always make up on lost rest.

For More Information Visit Our Website www.getsleepnow.co.uk Or Our Blog www.getsleepnow.co.uk/blog

Total Views : 2    Word Count: 488   See All Articles By Carol Bell