Understanding the 5 Stages of Deep Sleep
It is a common knowledge that eight hours of sleep is needed to function properly during the day.
However, let us consider this fact: The longest recorded time that a human have gone without sleep was set by Mr.
Robert McDonald in 1980, for eighteen days and twenty-one hours and forty minutes (18 days 21 hours and 40 minutes) or four hundred fifty-three minutes (453 hours) to be exact.
After his record-breaking activity, he only experienced trouble with concentration and drowsiness.
So, is it possible to sleep less yet have enough alertness and energy? The answer would be yes! By having a quality sleep.
But, what in the world is a quality sleep? In Layman's term, quality sleep means being able to sleep deeply.
In order for us to appreciate what the term truly means, first let us study the underlying mechanism that controls sleeping.
This body mechanism is called the "body clock.
" It is the system inside of you which controls how you sleep and how deep the sleep would be when you sleep, and how will you awake.
According to studies and researches done, deep sleep comprises of five stages.
Meaning, we are not having the same experience when we are sleeping or it is possible also that we are not aware that we are having one.
Stage one of deep sleep, whether we know it or not, we have unconsciously experienced it all our life.
Signs of entering stage one are drowsiness, day dreaming, zoning out.
During this time, our brain exhibits lower brain waves.
In this stage, the body relaxes, and heart rate slightly dropping down.
Stage one is the doorway to your sleep.
Stage two of deep sleep.
Here, we experience patterns of waves and some scientist characterizes this behavior of the brain that means it is turning itself off.
Most people are still wakable in this stage.
Combination of stages three and four.
In these stages, we can say that we have entered the deep sleep and now, we are truly asleep.
The blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate reach their lowest point of the day.
Blood vessels dilate and most of the blood which is usually stored in our organs during the day into our muscles to nourish and repair them.
Stage five, or Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
Probably this is the most fascinating stage of sleep, as scientists still not know the purpose of this stage.
It is commonly referred to as dream sleep.
It is believed that we dream mostly in the REM sleep stage.
Now that we have the knowledge of the stages of quality sleep, the next question now is how to have a quality sleep.
This is the next question that I will tackle in the succeeding article.
However, let us consider this fact: The longest recorded time that a human have gone without sleep was set by Mr.
Robert McDonald in 1980, for eighteen days and twenty-one hours and forty minutes (18 days 21 hours and 40 minutes) or four hundred fifty-three minutes (453 hours) to be exact.
After his record-breaking activity, he only experienced trouble with concentration and drowsiness.
So, is it possible to sleep less yet have enough alertness and energy? The answer would be yes! By having a quality sleep.
But, what in the world is a quality sleep? In Layman's term, quality sleep means being able to sleep deeply.
In order for us to appreciate what the term truly means, first let us study the underlying mechanism that controls sleeping.
This body mechanism is called the "body clock.
" It is the system inside of you which controls how you sleep and how deep the sleep would be when you sleep, and how will you awake.
According to studies and researches done, deep sleep comprises of five stages.
Meaning, we are not having the same experience when we are sleeping or it is possible also that we are not aware that we are having one.
Stage one of deep sleep, whether we know it or not, we have unconsciously experienced it all our life.
Signs of entering stage one are drowsiness, day dreaming, zoning out.
During this time, our brain exhibits lower brain waves.
In this stage, the body relaxes, and heart rate slightly dropping down.
Stage one is the doorway to your sleep.
Stage two of deep sleep.
Here, we experience patterns of waves and some scientist characterizes this behavior of the brain that means it is turning itself off.
Most people are still wakable in this stage.
Combination of stages three and four.
In these stages, we can say that we have entered the deep sleep and now, we are truly asleep.
The blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate reach their lowest point of the day.
Blood vessels dilate and most of the blood which is usually stored in our organs during the day into our muscles to nourish and repair them.
Stage five, or Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep.
Probably this is the most fascinating stage of sleep, as scientists still not know the purpose of this stage.
It is commonly referred to as dream sleep.
It is believed that we dream mostly in the REM sleep stage.
Now that we have the knowledge of the stages of quality sleep, the next question now is how to have a quality sleep.
This is the next question that I will tackle in the succeeding article.
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