Monthly Spotlight: Sleep Awareness

Stage 1

Type of Sleep: NREM (non-Rapid Eye Movement)

Other Names: N1

Normal Length: 1 to 7 minutes

During N1 sleep, the body has not fully relaxed, though the body and brain activities start to slow with periods of brief movements. There are light changes in brain activity associated with falling asleep in this stage.

It is easy to wake someone up during this sleep stage, but if a person is not disturbed, they can move quickly into stage 2. As the night unfolds, an uninterrupted sleeper may not spend much more time in stage 1 as they move through further sleep cycles. -Sleep Foundation

What Affects Sleep Stages?

• Age
  • Time in each stage changes dramatically over a person’s life. 
    • Newborn babies spend far more time in REM sleep and may enter a REM stage as soon as they fall asleep. As they get older, their sleep becomes similar to that of adults.
    • Older adults tend to spend less time in REM sleep.
• Recent Sleep Patterns
  • If a person gets irregular or insufficient sleep over a period of days or more, it can cause an abnormal sleep cycle.
• Alcohol
  • Alcohol and some other drugs can alter sleep architecture.
    • For example, alcohol decreases REM sleep early in the night, but as the alcohol wears off, there is a REM sleep rebound, with prolonged REM stages.
• Sleep Disorders
  • Sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome (RLS), and other conditions that cause multiple awakenings may interrupt a healthy sleep cycle.

Healthier Sleep Cycle

While you do not have full control of your sleep cycle, you can take steps to improve your chances of having a healthy progression through each sleep stage.

A key step is to focus on improving your sleep hygiene, which refers to your sleep environment and sleep-related habits. Achieving a more consistent sleep schedule, getting natural daylight exposure, avoiding alcohol before bedtime, and eliminating noise and light disruptions can help you get uninterrupted sleep and promote proper alignment of your circadian rhythm. Your mattress, pillows, and sheets can also contribute to how comfortable your sleep environment is.

If you find that you have excessive daytime sleepiness or otherwise suspect that you might have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea, it is important to talk with a doctor who can most appropriately guide your care. Addressing underlying issues may pave the way for more complete and restorative sleep cycles. -Sleep Foundation

How to Get Better Sleep: Part 1

1. Stick to a sleep schedule
   1. Set aside no more than 8 hours for sleep
   2. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including on weekends
   3. If you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing.
      1. Go back to bed when you're tired. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time.
2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink
   1. Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed
      1. Avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime
   2. Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol deserve caution, too.
      1. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can interfere with sleep.
      2. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.
3. Create a restful environment 
   1. Keep your room cool, dark, and quiet.
      1. Exposure to light in the evening can make it challenging to fall asleep
         1. This is why they say to avoid screens at bedtime
      2. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan, or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.
   2. Doing calming activities before bedtime, such as taking a bath or using relaxation techniques, might promote better sleep.

Information from the Mayo Clinic.

Fun Facts

• Research shows that in the days leading up to a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, although the reasons are unclear.
• If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep at night, you’re probably sleep-deprived. Ideally, falling asleep should take 10 to 15 minutes.
• Tiredness peaks twice a day: Around 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. for most people. That’s why you’re less alert after lunch.
• Stress, physical or mental illness, living or sleeping arrangements, family history, shift work, diet and exercise habits can all contribute to insomnia.
• Insomnia is not defined by the sleep you lose each night, but by the drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, irritability, and other problems it can cause each day.
• Being awake for 16 hours straight decreases your performance as much as if your blood alcohol level were .05% (the legal limit is .08%).
• Today, 75% of us dream in color. Before color television, just 15% of us did.
• Whales and dolphins literally fall half asleep. Each side of their brain takes turns so they can come up for air.
• persistent sleep deprivation affects daytime performance and can hinder decision-making, memory, focus, and creativity
• Sleep duration is important, but it is not the end-all, be-all. Sleep quality is another critical factor to consider, and it is closely connected with sleep continuity and lack of sleep disruptions.
• Experts recommend getting out of bed if you spent 20 minutes trying to fall asleep
• People don't eat spiders while sleeping- your siblings lied to you
• Women have a lifetime risk of insomnia that is as much as 40% higher than men
• Sleep is an active state
• We now believe that many aspects of sleep are genetically controlled. Recent breakthroughs may have identified the gene that makes some people cope more easily with a lack of sleep.

Information was gathered from the Sleep Health Foundation,  the Cleveland Clinic, and the Sleep Foundation.

Sleep Cycle

Throughout your time asleep, your brain will cycle repeatedly through two different types of sleep: REM (rapid-eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep.

The first part of the cycle is non-REM sleep, which is composed of four stages. The first stage comes between being awake and falling asleep. The second is light sleep, when heart rate and breathing are regulated and body temperature drops. The third and fourth stages are deep sleep. Though REM sleep was previously believed to be the most important sleep phase for learning and memory, newer data suggests that non-REM sleep is more important for these tasks, as well as being the more restful and restorative phase of sleep.

As you cycle into REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly behind closed lids, and brain waves are similar to those during wakefulness. Breath rate increases and the body becomes temporarily paralyzed as we dream.

The cycle then repeats itself, but with each cycle, you spend less time in the deeper stages three and four of sleep and more time in REM sleep. On a typical night, you’ll cycle through four or five times. -John Hopkins Medicine

Stage 2

Type of Sleep: NREM

Other Names: N2

Normal Length: 10 to 25 minutes

During stage 2, or N2, the body enters a more subdued state including a drop in temperature, relaxed muscles, and slowed breathing and heart rate. At the same time, brain waves show a new pattern, and eye movement stops. On the whole, brain activity slows, but there are short bursts of activity that actually help resist being woken up by external stimuli.

Stage 2 sleep can last for 10 to 25 minutes during the first sleep cycle, and each N2 stage can become longer during the night. Collectively, a person typically spends about half their sleep time in N2 sleep. -Sleep Foundation

Stage 3

Type of Sleep:  NREM

Other Names: N3, Slow-Wave Sleep (SWS), Delta Sleep, Deep Sleep

Normal Length: 20 to 40 minutes

Stage 3 sleep is also known as N3 or deep sleep, and it is harder to wake someone up if they are in this phase. Muscle tone, pulse, and breathing rate decrease in N3 sleep as the body relaxes even further. The brain activity during this period has an identifiable pattern of what are known as delta waves. For this reason, stage 3 may also be called delta sleep or slow-wave sleep (SWS).

Experts believe that this stage is critical to restorative sleep, allowing for bodily recovery and growth. It may also bolster the immune system and other key bodily processes. Even though brain activity is reduced, there is evidence that deep sleep contributes to insightful thinking, creativity, and memory.

You spend the most time in deep sleep during the first half of the night. During the early sleep cycles, N3 stages commonly last for 20 to 40 minutes. As you continue sleeping, these stages get shorter, and more time gets spent in REM sleep instead. -Sleep Foundation

Stage 4

Type of Sleep: Rapid Eye Movement (REM

Other Names: REM Sleep

Normal Length: 10 to 60 minutes

During REM sleep, brain activity picks up, nearing levels seen when you are awake. At the same time, the body experiences atonia, which is a temporary paralysis of the muscles, with two exceptions: the eyes and the muscles that control breathing. Even though the eyes are closed, they can be seen moving quickly, which is how this stage gets its name.

REM sleep is believed to be essential to cognitive functions like memory, learning, and creativity. 

REM sleep is known for the most vivid dreams, which is explained by the significant uptick in brain activity. Dreams can occur in any sleep stage, but they are less common and intense in the NREM periods.

Under normal circumstances, you do not enter a REM sleep stage until you have been asleep for about 90 minutes. As the night goes on, REM stages get longer, especially in the second half of the night. While the first REM stage may last only a few minutes, later stages can last for around an hour. In total, REM stages make up around 25% of sleep in adults. -Sleep Foundation

How to Get Better Sleep: Part 2

1. Limit daytime naps
   1. It can interfere with nighttime sleep
   2. Limit naps to no more than one hour and avoid napping late in the day.
      1. However, if you work nights, you might need to nap late in the day before work to help make up your sleep debt.
2. Include physical activity in your daily routine
   1. Regular physical activity can promote better sleep.
      1. However, avoid being active too close to bedtime.
3. Manage worries
   1. Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime.
      1. Jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow.
   2. Stress management might help.
      1. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities, and delegating tasks.
      2. Meditation also can ease anxiety.

Information from the Mayo Clinic.