Sleep is an odd occurrence, we’ve slept since time began and we do it every night, yet we still don’t know exactly why we sleep. As technology has dramatically advanced in the past 50 or so years, we now know the different stages we go through when we sleep.
During the early stages of sleep you are still relatively awake when the brain is producing small and fast waves, once it starts to relax these waves become slower and it’s during this time that you are not asleep but may experience strange and vivid sensations known as hypnagogic hallucinations like someone calling your name or a falling sensation. You may also experience a myoclonic jerk, which is when you suddenly become startled for no reason.
Stage 1 – lasting approximately five to 10 minutes, this is a relatively light sleep that is the transition period between being awake and being asleep. The brain produces very slow brain waves and if you are awoken during this stage you’re likely to not remember being asleep.
Stage 2 – for around 20 minutes your brain will produce bursts of rapid brain wave activity where body temperature starts to decrease and the heart rate slows down.
Stage 3 – the period between light sleep and very deep sleep, this is a transitional period where deep and slow brain waves start to emerge.
Stage 4 – lasting for approximately 30 minutes, this stage is known as delta sleep because of the slow brain waves that occur during this period. Bed wetting and sleep walking usually happen at the end of this stage
Stage 5 – known as rapid eye movement (REM) because our eyes move under our eyelids, this is the deepest of sleeps where most dreaming takes place. There is an increased rate of respiration and brain activity, however the voluntary muscles become paralysed.
Our sleep patterns do not progress through these stages in sequence, as we move in and out of light and deep sleep throughout of the night. Sleep begins in stage 1 and moves into stages 2, 3 and 4, we then repeat stage 3 and 2 before we enter REM sleep. Once this last stage is over, your body usually returns to stage 2 sleep and cycles through all stages around four or five times a the night.
On average we go into REM sleep approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep, the first cycle may only last a short amount of time but each becomes longer and can last up to an hour as the night progresses.
So as you drop off to sleep tonight, wrapped up cosy in your bed, you may know what stage of sleep you are at, but try not to think about it too much or you might end up struggling to get to sleep!
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