Rosemary

If you’re having a difficult time getting to sleep understanding the mechanism behind falling asleep and how it recharges you could help you distinguish the problem of what is keeping you from it. Sleep is not as easy as you believe because of the various levels of sleep. There are a number of matters that take place once your head falls on to the pillow and you close your eyes that contributes to how deeply or how lightly you will slumber.

Feeling utterly dopey is the first phase of sleep and this is where your muscles relax, you start to feel tired, and your eyes will drift closed on their own. This is the fastest developing phase, usually between five and ten. The very next stage of sleep is considered a very light “stage two” and in this state your temperature and respiratory system retreat. Your heart rate should also lag at this point in the sleep process.

Stages three and four are easily classified as deep sleep and are where it should be hard to wake up. You may feel groggy and be unable to adjust quickly but this stage allows the brain to rest and as a result blood flow actually decreases, at which time the nutrient rich blood nourishes your body. There is also an increase in immune functions during these important stages of rest.

The most fascinating stage is called stage five or REM sleep and is known as the dream portion of a good night’s rest. Moving in and out of the REM cycle occurs often so there may be several minutes or hours within the stage of REM sleep. This part of the sleep process is defined by some physical breathing conditions of the shallow sort, deep or even irregular. You could also show signs of a rise in heart rate and blood pressure.

This particular portion of the entire sleep cycle is good for helping your mind process heavy emotions, stress reduction and providing a benefit to the person sleeping. People who sleep lightly are stuck in the early sleep stages and hardly ever make it to phases three and four where sleep does the best for us. Those who can’t wake up so easily likely are stuck in the deeper parts of sleep and awake suddenly rather than come awake through the various stages of sleep.

Sleep stages can become random based upon the time you have spent in each sleep stage through the previous week, so if you spend too much time in a heavy sleep one night you might become trapped in a light sleep the next evening. It really balances out over time and you’ll likely spend equal amounts of time in each part of sleep, hopefully resulting in good sleep patterns. That’s why it is more true that it is impossible to get caught up on sleep but you can always get caught up on rest.