
Everyone loves a good night’s sleep, but many people don’t have an accurate idea of how sleep works. After you close your eyes for the evening, your brain cycles through four distinct phases, and each one plays a different role in how the body heals and recovers after a day’s activities. Three of these stages are categorized as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, or quiet sleep, and the last one is called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, or active sleep. Here’s a brief guide to each of these stages and why they are so important for your health.
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