The Science Of Sleeping – Different Kinds Of Sleep | best sleep

Here is the post I promised in my Zeo review about the different kinds of sleep.

When we go to bed at night, bushed from the day, and lay down to catch some Zs, we usually do not think about the levels of sleep and brain activity we are about to experience. We do not think of the neurons that are firing away in our brain while we slumber, nor are we thinking about the chemicals and neurotransmitters that play a role in what goes on while we are unconscious in bed.

All we’re thinking about is just getting some rest.

While that may be true, the science of sleep is still a very fascinating concept, and one that has a lot of practical ramifications for our daily life. Your brain, for example, goes through several phases of sleep during a night, which can have an impact on how much rest you actually get and how you will feel the next day.

This article will briefly cover the three main types of sleep and how they affect your mind and body.

Phase One: Falling Into Light Sleep

Contrary to popular belief, your brain is always working – even when you are asleep.  While you may be unconscious, the brain never sleeps.  Brain cells are constantly active, neurons are constantly firing away, and brain waves are constantly up and running.  The difference is that you yourself are not aware of this because your brain is also working to put you out for a few hours so your body can recuperate.

The first phase of sleep is called light sleep.  This is when your brain is settling down and becoming less active so that you can drift off into sleep.  Of course, you are not aware of the exact moment you fall asleep, but if you have ever had a nap where you were barely conscious, you have experienced what light sleep ‘feels’ like.

During this phase, people are easily awoken.  You also may receive a temporary boost in energy, but truly regenerative sleep is beyond this level. This phase is also known as ‘near-REM sleep’.

Phase 2: REM Sleep

REM is a pretty well-known phrase that stands for ‘rapid-eye movement’. This stage of sleep is when your brain is most active during your unconscious stage, as marked by rapid eye movements that go on while you are asleep (which makes you unaware of them). There are several theories as to why this happens, but during this phase of sleep, you are more likely to dream – including having vivid dreams accompanied in some people by sleep terrors or nightmares.

You are more likely to be woken up during REM sleep than deep sleep, described below.

Phase Three: Deep Sleep

Although not exactly an official clinical term, deep sleep refers to the periods in your sleep cycle in which you are considered the most asleep. In other words, your brain experiences more delta waves – indicators of deep unconsciousness and lowered brain activity – in this phase than in any other. Some scientists say that your restorative sleep takes place during this phase. This can lead to problems with those who take sleep aids. Most sleep aids just help you get to sleep – but they prohibit strong delta-wave formation. In other words, while you may be able to become unconscious, your body will not get the delta waves it craves.

If you are awoken during deep sleep, you are more likely to be very groggy and irritable. So, it is necessary to get deep sleep not only because of health reasons, but also to keep your family members from giving your irritation right back to you!

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