An Introduction to the Five Various Sleep Stages
When you fall asleep at any time during the day or night, your brain is expected to go though five (5) various stages of sleep. You must know that each sleep stage manifests a totally different kind of brain waves and brain activity. Each of these five stages of sleep also serves a different purpose that will ultimately benefit you.
When you are awake and at your highest level of excitability and, your brain produces beta waves. These kind of brain waves are directly associated with conscious and active thinking. Most of the insomnia sufferers virtually stay in this kind of beta brain waves, especially when they toss and turn in bed at night, unable to fall asleep.
Your brain need to go first through a period of slowing, relaxing and shutting down, before your body slows, relaxes and eventually shuts down in preparation for going to bed.
When you are awake and at your highest level of excitability and, your brain produces beta waves. These kind of brain waves are directly associated with conscious and active thinking. Most of the insomnia sufferers virtually stay in this kind of beta brain waves, especially when they toss and turn in bed at night, unable to fall asleep.
Your brain need to go first through a period of slowing, relaxing and shutting down, before your body slows, relaxes and eventually shuts down in preparation for going to bed.
The Five Essential Stages of Sleep
Stage One
This phase is usually branded with different kinds of names, among them, zoning out, daydreaming, trancing and many other connotations. It is also frequently linked with self-hypnosis or hypnosis, in general.
This is the first stage in your sleeping process. You may still be a bit aware of your surroundings but the awareness can be shifted internally and the sounds in your environment can be enhanced. Your brain enters into an alpha wave pattern during this stage.
If you seem to be going to sleep already and were asked if you are sleeping, you may probably reply that you are not yet sleeping. In fact, you are already in the stage one of sleep though you can be easily roused from it.
When you plan on taking a nap, this is the most effective phase because the brain is allowed to take a rest and replenish awhile without having to shut down your whole body.
This stage typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes, though every person may experience different stage one sleep period.
Stage Two
Sudden jolts of brain activities are manifested during this stage of sleep. During this phase of sleep, your body is starting to shut down. Then, you might also like to have random and involuntary leg and arm movements.
Have you experienced dozing off unintentionally in public and then being jolted awake with a start? This because you are in an on-off transition of sleep, which is an essential process that guarantees if the body is in a safe and secure enough position before it completely shuts down. Now you know why.
The pattern of brain waves formed during the stage two are called "sleep spindles" and K-complexes. If scaled in a graph, they form valleys and peaks.
Stages three and four
These stages are referred as the deep sleep stage or delta sleep. This stage is when the brain reaches its lowest frequency called delta waves. If you are already in this phase of sleep, it would present quite a challenge to awaken you.
Stage five or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep
This is probably the most interesting phase of your sleep, and of most other people, for that matter. This is the stage when you start dreaming. Although scientists have still not yet discovered the real objective of dreams and dreaming, so far, the most widely accepted explanation is that these allow your brain to go over your experiences and process those that you learned.
During REM, the activity of your brain waves is very much like the beta wave brain activity when you are awake.
This phase is usually branded with different kinds of names, among them, zoning out, daydreaming, trancing and many other connotations. It is also frequently linked with self-hypnosis or hypnosis, in general.
This is the first stage in your sleeping process. You may still be a bit aware of your surroundings but the awareness can be shifted internally and the sounds in your environment can be enhanced. Your brain enters into an alpha wave pattern during this stage.
If you seem to be going to sleep already and were asked if you are sleeping, you may probably reply that you are not yet sleeping. In fact, you are already in the stage one of sleep though you can be easily roused from it.
When you plan on taking a nap, this is the most effective phase because the brain is allowed to take a rest and replenish awhile without having to shut down your whole body.
This stage typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes, though every person may experience different stage one sleep period.
Stage Two
Sudden jolts of brain activities are manifested during this stage of sleep. During this phase of sleep, your body is starting to shut down. Then, you might also like to have random and involuntary leg and arm movements.
Have you experienced dozing off unintentionally in public and then being jolted awake with a start? This because you are in an on-off transition of sleep, which is an essential process that guarantees if the body is in a safe and secure enough position before it completely shuts down. Now you know why.
The pattern of brain waves formed during the stage two are called "sleep spindles" and K-complexes. If scaled in a graph, they form valleys and peaks.
Stages three and four
These stages are referred as the deep sleep stage or delta sleep. This stage is when the brain reaches its lowest frequency called delta waves. If you are already in this phase of sleep, it would present quite a challenge to awaken you.
Stage five or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep
This is probably the most interesting phase of your sleep, and of most other people, for that matter. This is the stage when you start dreaming. Although scientists have still not yet discovered the real objective of dreams and dreaming, so far, the most widely accepted explanation is that these allow your brain to go over your experiences and process those that you learned.
During REM, the activity of your brain waves is very much like the beta wave brain activity when you are awake.
Links
- Sleep, Sleep Disorders and Insomnia Lenses
- Sleep, Sleep Disorders and Insomnia Lenses by Gerrard Mackenzie
- Supercharge your Sleep
- Free newsletter on supercharging your sleep and natural sleep aids.
- Sleep Article Nation
- Blog with TON of articles about sleep.
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Hi everyone, my name is Gerrard Mackenzie. I am a computer programmer and I used to be a long-term sufferer of insomnia. I've spent a lot of time read... (more)
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