When you doze off during the night, you go through many sleep cycles. Now, each of them has distinct stages. People have sleep cycles after traveling as well. According to an article published on https://www.huffpost.com, if you are traveling during the summer months and revel in the joy of your vacation with margarita or daiquiris memories, you may have disturbed sleep cycles. Even if you cozy up in bed at the right time, your body stops behaving normally. You are wondering what the different stages of sleep have to do with your body. Well, to get the answers to your questions, keep reading this article to learn about the four stages of sleep.
Stage 1
It is called non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), also known as dreamless sleep. You make up your mind to sleep and shut your eyes. It usually lasts for one or ten minutes. You experience light sleep and may wake up completely in a short while. You fell asleep, and realize that you did not sleep for a moment. Your rate of breathing decreases and slows down, heartbeat becoming normal. As far as your brain temperature and blood pressure are concerned, they drop. The jerk that you experience when dozing off, followed by the feeling of falling down occurs during stage one. If you have irregular sleeping habits, you will experience the hypnic jerks frequently.
Stage 2
If stage two occurs, things can become serious. It lasts for approximately 20 minutes followed by a decreasing heart rate and drop in your body temperature. Your body becomes less active to prepare it for a deep snooze. Compared to the different stages of sleep, it is so deep that waking you up is challenging. The human brain at this phase releases larger waves. When it comes to metabolic functions and blood pressure, they decelerate too. The stage two of sleep is common, and you spend most of the time in this phase, about 45 percent of the overall duration of sleep.
Stage 3
It is the combination of stage one and two. When it comes to NREM stage 3, it starts 35 minutes to 45 minutes after you doze off. If you look at the electroencephalograms, you will see the brain waves slowing down. The waves also get bigger at this stage. During this phase, you keep sleeping despite noises, disturbances, and movements in your room or around. You do not react. If you wake up at this stage, you will experience a bit of confusion for the first couple of minutes. The Stage 3 is also called Delta Sleep and slow-wave sleep.
Stage 4
It is the final phase and lasts for about 10 minutes. It usually occurs after you have fallen asleep for about 90 minutes. Your eyes keep moving fast in all possible directions. You sleep deeply and experience the most powerful dreams. The stage is associated with bed-wetting and sleepwalking. If you experience any one of these symptoms, consult a doctor right away. Heart rates increase with uneven rhythms. The stage gets longer throughout the night and may last for about an hour or so.
Conclusion
Do you experience dreams often or wake up suddenly gasping? If yes, get in touch with a doctor.
