Sleep Cycles - understanding what goes on when you sleep

Benjamin Franklin once said "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

That is only one of the quotes about sleep that stress its importance. We'll run into many sleep quotes in our life to tell us that this process is not just a luxury but a basic need. While some quotes are funny, each of them tell us the same thing-- a good night's rest results in good health and well-being.

Numerous things rely on sleep--your efficiency, mental sharpness, emotional balance, energy as well as your weight. Understanding what happens while you sleep may help you avoid staying up late and being prone to numerous illnesses caused by sleep deprivation.

Knowing the stages of Sleep Cycles

When you sleep, your brain doesn't just shut down. It actually stays busy, having a biological maintenance that will help you get ready for the coming day. When you sleep, your brain goes through a sleep cycle involving numerous stages.

Here are the stages of the sleep cycle:

-Stage 1- This stage can also be called the 'Dozing stage'. Here, you are mainly asleep but still easily woken. You are in this restful state and you feel all your senses slowing down. Your muscles, eye movement and breathing rate slow down. You ultimately go into a semiconscious state. As your sleep deepens, your brain waves slow down as well - even slower than while relaxing. This stage isn't going to last very long, and it's where you feel the sensation of falling or jerking into wakefulness.

-Stage 2- This stage has deeper sleep when compared to stage 1. It's normally at this stage where you're considered asleep and unconscious. Finally, the eyes stop moving. There will be occasional bursts of brain activity called sleep spindles and instances where larger waves of amplitude called K complexes start activating. The dominating brain waves, called Theta waves, are found in the stage 2 sleep. Just like the first stage, this stage is not going to last very long.

-Stage 3- In this stage, your brain will settle into a slow pattern. High amplitude called Delta waves start activating. Your sleep begins to deepen. In stage 3, half of your brain waves are Delta waves. You will see spikes of high activity in between the calmer intervals.

-Stage 4- this stage is also referred to as 'very deep sleep stage'. Delta wave brain activity also dominates this stage. You'll have occasional bursts of high activity. It is for the duration of this stage that a majority of incidents of sleepwalking, nightmares and bed-wetting occur. It will last until the early part of the night and progressively decreases as the night continues.

-REM- The body will reverse the cycle and will go back to the 1st stage sleep ahead of entering the REM sleep. There'll be a lot of changes in the body during this stage. Your breathing accelerates and gets irregular plus your eyes begin to move with a jerky motion. Your heart rate will become elevated also and your brain waves would be active, just like when you are awake. The body will produce a chemical which can paralyze your muscles when dreaming so that you won't end up injuring yourself. When you suddenly awaken during REM sleep, you're probably going to recall your dream in greater detail. Infants spend 50% of their sleeping time in REM sleep while adults spend 20% of theirs.

Although adults and children have the same sleep cycles, you have to take note that kids require more sleep to be able to function and develop properly.

Tia Arnold is a doctor who likes quotes about sleep and is aware of how different stages in sleep cycles affects us.