Understanding Your Sleep Cycle For A Better Night's Rest

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Contrary to popular belief, your nightly rest is not one static process. It's actually a cycle that your brain and body go through each night. This cycle, known as the "sleep cycle", is very important to your overall health and well-being. Below, we'll explain the anatomy of your sleep cycle and how it's not the quantity of hours you spend sleeping, but the quality of your sleep cycle that matters the most.

Anatomy of the Human Sleep Cycle

The average person's sleep cycle lasts for about an hour and a half (or 90 minutes), and most people experience several cycles per night. The first four stages of each cycle are made up of "non rapid eye movement (NREM)" sleep. The fifth and final stage, of course, is the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Each one of these stages is important for getting the restorative, healthy sleep you need to feel refreshed and energetic each morning. So if you aren't getting that sleep, and if you don't have a high-quality natural sleep aid to help you ease into your nightly sleep cycle, it could start taking a toll on your health.

REM Sleep

REM sleep easily identified by a surge in rapid eye movement while still asleep. this is also the stage of sleep when your brain experiences and processes your dreams. Some sleep experts believe that the rapid eye movement could be caused by vivid dreams. However, not all sleep scientists agree on this theory. Furthermore, the human body releases specific hormones that essentially paralyze most of your skeletal muscles while in REM sleep. this helps protect most people from sleepwalking, flailing around, or doing any other physical movement which could result in accidental injuries while asleep.

NREM Sleep

The other four stages of the sleep cycle are classified as non-rem sleep (or NREM sleep). As the name would imply, you're not likely to be experiencing any dreams or rapid eye movement during these four stages. These stages are referred to in numerical order of how deep of a sleep you will be in when you hit each stage. Stage one, for example, is the lightest form of sleep. anyone in stages 1 through 3 of NREM sleep can be more or less easily woken up. Stage 4, on the other hand, is the deepest form of non-rem sleep your body can get. In this stage, it is very difficult to wake someone. unlike in REM sleep, your muscles are not paralyzed, but you will not be experiencing any movement at all.

How Your Sleep Cycle Changes With Age

The younger you are, the more sleep you will need in order to stay happy and healthy. Infants and toddlers may need somewhere upwards of 10-12 hours of sleep per night, and they also spend more time in REM sleep than non-rem sleep. As you get older, the time you spend in the deeper stages of your sleep cycle starts to wane. In adolescence, your sleep cycle will shift by about 40% from REM sleep and deep stage non-rem sleep into more time spent in stages one or two of non-rem sleep. You'll also need less and less sleep each night. Teenagers may still need about 9 or 10 hours, which explains why so many of them sleep so much (to the dismay of their infuriated parents). Contrary to popular belief, it's not because they're lazy; it's because they're still growing, and they need that extra sleep to be healthy and happy. Adults, on the other hand, generally only need about eight hours per night, but that varies from Individual to individual. for some older adults, getting only 6 or 7 hours of sleep at night is perfectly adequate.

Monophasic and Biphasic Sleep Patterns

There's also a little bit of a debate among sleep experts about whether human beings should be on a monophasic or biphasic sleep schedule. Monophasic, which is the most popular sleep schedule in Western culture today, involves just taking one large chunk of sleep at night. biphasic, on the other hand, can best be described with the "Siesta" culture of most Mediterranean countries. That is, people take one long chunk of sleep at night, usually about five to six hours long, and then a generous nap in the early afternoon, usually about 90 minutes long.

We hope that learning more specifics about your nightly sleep cycle can help you get started on the path to a better night's sleep. If you're still having trouble, you might want to check out our article on "Sleep Hygiene". Good luck, and sweet dreams!