While our eyes are able to move and do so in correspondence with what we see during our dreams, our voluntary muscles become paralyzed. While dreams can and do occur during other sleep stages, most dreaming and the vivid dreams that we remember happen during REM sleep. Heartbeat and blood pressure also return close to waking levels, and breathing becomes faster and more irregular, as opposed to the slow, rhythmic breathing of deep sleep.Īs mentioned in reference to eye movement, REM sleep is the stage of dreaming. Interestingly, studies suggest that these eye movements are connected with visual processing while dreaming, with eye movements corresponding with seeing a new mental image, so our eyes moving are likely us “seeing” things as we dream.ĭuring REM sleep, brain activity increases, with wave activity closer to waking levels than in the other stages of sleep. REM sleep is characterized by the rapid flickering movement of the eyes that gives it its name. REM sleep makes up about 20% of total sleep time in adults, and 50% for babies. On average, we’ll go through 3 to 6 REM stages each night, and each REM stage gets longer in later cycles the last REM stage can last an hour. We usually finally reach REM sleep about 90 minutes after falling asleep. It is a myth that our need for sleep decreases as we get older, but we get less deep sleep - some older adults may have no measured NREM 3 sleep, but this is not abnormal. This deep sleep stage is where rejuvenation occurs and is what allows you to wake up feeling refreshed.ĭuring NREM 3, sleep muscle and tissue repair occur, growth and development are stimulated, immune function is boosted, and energy for the following day is built up. The body is far less responsive to outside stimuli - it is hardest to rouse someone in this sleep stage.Įven though the muscles are generally completely relaxed, sleepwalking is most common during NREM 3 sleep. It is during this stage of deep sleep that heartbeat and breathing drop to their lowest levels, and muscles are at complete relaxation. This is why NREM 3 is also known as Slow-Wave Sleep (SWS). It will last anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes during the first sleep cycle, and each stage gets shorter during subsequent cycles.ĭuring NREM 3 sleep, the brain produces a very slow Delta wave activity. This is also the stage associated the most with dreaming, which we will get to a bit further on. This stage of sleep is also accompanied by the eye movement that gives this sleep stage its name. NREM sleep can be broken down into three distinct stages (it was formerly four, but stages 3 & 4 have since officially been combined into one) and are characterized by the slowing down and synchronization of brainwaves.ĭuring stage 3, the deepest sleep, brain waves are very large and slow (high amplitude, low frequency).ĭuring REM, or active sleep, brain waves are small and fast (low amplitude, high frequency). The invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in 1929 allowed scientists to “take a picture” of the brain’s electrical activity and proved that far from shutting down, the brain is at times highly active during sleep.įurther studies that measured eye movement and muscle activity along with brain activity resulted in the discovery of two types of sleep - Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Prior to this era, scientists believed that the brain essentially “shut down” during sleep that brain function diminished along with sensory inputs while we sleep. The study of sleep and what we know about it has a relatively short history, with modern sleep research only really beginning in the 1920s. the body’s biological sleep mechanisms and circadian rhythmīy the time you’ve read this guide, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for sleep and why it’s so important to ensure you’re getting both enough sleep and good quality sleep.what happens inside your brain while you’re asleep, or dreaming.the different stages of sleep and sleep cycles.This guide is going to give you a good understanding of: It might seem like our body just kind of shuts down and goes into rest and recovery mode, but the human body, and especially the brain, is wonderfully complex and more active than you’re probably aware while sleeping. And, unless we’re not getting enough sleep, it’s something we don’t really think too much about. Sleep is something most of us just take for granted. A Guide to NREM, Deep, & REM Sleep Cycles
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