Sleep Cycle Guide
Shortly after you crawl into bed your body shifts into 5 different sleep cycles. During each cycle, your brain goes through different patterns that are important for your overall health.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Lliff, ” your brain is not simply asleep or awake; it is passing in and out of different sleep states.”
Below is the guide to the five different sleep cycles to help you get a better understanding of what happens after you fall asleep.
Learn More About Sleep Cycles
Stage 1
- The shallowest stage of sleep
- The phase between waking and sleeping
- You may experience sudden muscle jerks or feeling of falling
Stage 2
- Theta wave actively continues
- Heart rate slows
- Body temperature drops
Stages 3 & 4
- Slow-wave sleep
- Deep sleep stage
- Body temperature drops
- Blood pressure falls
- Breathing slows
- Body repairs muscles and tissues
- Boosts immune function and energy stores
REM Sleep
- Stages 1-4 are called non-rapid eye movement
- Longest sleep stage
- Takes 90 minutes to enter REM sleep and each stage lasts an hour
- Heart rate and blood pressure increase
- Breathing is faster and more shallow
- Dreaming occurs
If something interferes with sleep, it can affect your sleep cycles. You will still go through the five cycles but in a shorter amount of time which doesn’t allow your body to reap all the benefits
Be sure to give your body enough time to move through the sleep stages for the sake of your health.
Learn More About Sleep Cycles
Contact Family Healthcare of Fairfax for More Information on Sleep Cycles
If you want to know more or if you are having irregular sleep patterns, Contact Family Healthcare of Fairfax today. Give us a call or email us to schedule an appointment today!
*Source:blog.myfitnesspal.com