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.
NREM Stage 1: Dozing Off
The first stage of sleep is NREM stage 1, and it is the transitional phase between the waking state and sleep. If you’ve ever awakened a sleeper only for them to claim that they were not asleep, it is quite likely that they were in this stage. During NREM stage 1, several things happen in the body:
- Brain activity slows down
- Heartbeat, eye movement, and breathing rate decrease
- Muscles relax and may twitch
This stage lasts for only about five to ten minutes.
NREM Stage 2: Light Sleep
You spend about half of your time sleeping in NREM stage 2, which lasts for about twenty minutes a cycle. During this stage, the brain produces a rapid series of rhythmic bursts of activity, which are also called sleep spindles. Scientists believe that this is part of the process of memory consolidation, during which your brain organizes the data gathered from the day’s experiences. During NREM Stage 2, a few changes happen:
- The sleeper becomes less aware of their surroundings
- Their body temperature falls
- Eye movements cease
- The heart rate and breathing patterns become regular
NREM Stage 3: Deep Sleep
During NREM stage 3, the body recovers from the stress of the previous day while the brain continues to consolidate memories. A person in NREM stage 3 sleep will experience the following:
- Complete muscle relaxation
- Decreased blood pressure and breathing rate
- Becoming much harder to wake up
REM Sleep: Dreaming
The REM stage begins roughly 90 minutes after you fall asleep, and it involves increased brain activity while the muscles are immobilized. The sleeping brain most closely resembles its awake self during REM sleep, and this stage is when sleepers experience dreams. During this stage:
- The brain experiences a flurry of activity
- The body relaxes and becomes temporarily paralyzed
- Breathing patterns become faster and more irregular
- The eyes move rapidly
Scientists believe that the brain uses REM sleep to process emotions and solidify information into memories. The body also heals, restores its muscle and bone tissue, and bolsters its immune system during this stage.
Sleep apnea is a condition that can interrupt your sleep more than one hundred times in a single night, which greatly diminishes the body’s ability to spend ample time in each of these stages for optimum rest. If you have trouble staying asleep throughout the night, your dentist may be able to help you breathe easier and rest more effectively.
About the Practice
Beck Dental Care of Columbia offers comprehensive oral healthcare as well as sleep apnea treatments to the Columbia community. Led by Drs. Matthew Hart, Kyle Williams, and Philip Matthews, the staff treats each patient with utmost courtesy and sincere compassion in a clean and welcoming office environment. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry as well as oral appliance therapy. If you suspect that you have sleep apnea, contact the office online or dial (931) 388-8452.