Lets uncover some of the mysteries of sleep is and explore what is going on in the brain. What sleep does, and what you can do to improve your sleep.
Sleep is an essential part of life.
We spend about a third of our lives sleeping. despite popular belief sleep is a very active process, its a time that our brain is as busy as in waking life. Healthy adults generally need about seven and a half to eight hours of sleep to feel functional.
Some people need more, and others need less.
As we grow, our sleep needs and patterns change. Infants, for example, needs about 16 to 20 hours of sleep a day, given what they are going through, learning and growing. Toddlers, need about 12 to 14 hours and teens needs about 10 hours per day. At each stage it's important to get enough sleep.
To say we all need X hours is inaccurate as there is no one size fits all.
Normal sleep is made up of five stages. Four stages of non REM sleep and REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement Sleep). During the non-REM sleep stages, many of the restorative functions of sleep occur, REM sleep allows for memories and thoughts from the day to be processed.
Sleep stages progress cyclically through the 4 non REM stages to REM and then they restart back again to Stage 1. A complete cycle takes about 90 to 110 minutes. Each sleep cycle becomes longer as the night goes on.
Overall brain activity slows down a bit.
REM sleep, makes up about 20% of your sleep. It's here your heart rate, and breathing increase, and your eyes start moving rapidly, which is where the term Rapid eye movement comes from. It can look like a person is awake but their muscles are essentially paralyzed. If you do happen to wake during REM sleep you will have experienced Sleep Paralysis.
REM is when dreams occur, as different parts of the brain become more active to organize thoughts and memories and your conscious logical mind winds down. Which is why your dreams seem bazar and nonsensical.
Getting enough good quality sleep is important for so many reasons:
Memory retention
Brain health - seep is a time the brain essentially get's refreshed and cleared of any toxins that may have built up during the day
Hormone balancing occurs during sleep
Growth hormone is secreted during sleep enabling your body to heal itself
Until the 1990's most people in the west got 7-8 hours sleep
The number one reason the word is sleep deprived is: You are simply not going to bed. Yes it's a choice, the world today has a idea that we need to productive longer or that they just don't need enough sleep. Poor sleep hygiene (choices) and stress play a huge role in sleep deprivation.
People who are sleep deprived typically need an alarm clock to wake up and fall asleep as soon as the hit the pillow. Where as, a healthy sleeper will take about 15 minutes to all asleep and wake up naturally.
Other signs of sleep deprivation are irritability, stress, getting sick a lot with common ailment like the cold.
It's no surprise that sleep is important, so how can you improve your sleep hygiene?
Keep a consistent sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every nigh
Create a relaxing bedtime routine — and stick with it.
Turn off electronic devices before you go to sleep.
Exercise regularly.
Limit your caffeine intake through the day.
Make your sleep environment work for you.
and to save relationships - don't go to bed angry
