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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SLEEP (UNDERSTANDING THE SLEEP CYCLES)

Before the 50's, Science gurus used to think the brains and our bodies shut down completely once we drift to sleep but there is a whole lot more to sleep than we think. Your brain goes through tons of activities as you sleep.
There are five stages of sleep.
We are all familiar with the word sleep but how does it work exactly?


During sleep the body moves through five stages of both REM, the rapid eye movement and NREM, the non rapid eye movement.

REM- is a unique phase of sleep in humans, identifiable by random movement of the eyes when closed and often occurs in cycles of about 90-120 minutes through the night.
At this point, you are partially awake and its the primitive stage of sleep.

STAGE 1- known as the transitional phase, occurs when you find yourself floating in and out of consciousness. This stage you are lightly asleep and can quickly be fully awake.

STAGE 2- Sleep kicks in. Your body prepares to go into a deep sleep. Eye movement stops and brain waves (electrical compulsion that occurs in the brain) slows down. It becomes harder to wake up and your blood pressure decreases.

STAGE 3 and 4- These are the deep stages of sleep. You can sleep through disturbances like noise and movements without waking up. If you ever wake anyone from sleep at this stage, they will most likely feel disoriented for minutes. Stage 3 and 4 are grouped together because they are the periods of slow wave sleep (SWS).
SWS is when the body becomes motionless with no eye movement. These are the stages children experience sleepwalking, bedwetting and nightmares.

STAGE 5- Most dreaming especially for adults takes place in stage five. This stage of sleep reawaken the brain, supporting sharp and alert daytime function. People wake up at the end of stage 5. Upon waking up, our temperature begins to prepare the body for the day.

Understanding our sleep cycles is vital in order to maintain a healthy mind and body.
For our body to function well daily, we need as adults 7-9 hours of sleep.


BENEFITS OF SLEEP

- Adequate sleep enhances your heart, weight, mind and more.

- Poor sleeping habit can make you fat. Short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors of obesity. Without good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function well so if you are trying to lose weight, get quality sleep. Strange but true!

- Good sleep can improve concentration and productivity.

- If you sleep better, you can live better. People who get less sleep have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins than those who get more sleep.

- Sleep improves memory and life span.

- Sleep reduces stress.

- Sleep reduces possibility of diabetes. Lack of adequate sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by affecting how your body processes glucose.

- Lastly, sleep reduces mood disorders.

End your sleep deprivation today and enjoy the amazing benefits of sleep.


Thanks for reading!







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