As you progress through each cycle, your time spent in Stage 4 increases, with some of the later rotations going for upwards of an hour. Quality time spent in Stage 4 of your sleep cycle is vital for cognitive functions, as proper rest during this stage can help boost memory, learning and creativity. While dreams can occur in any phase of a sleep cycle, it’s here where they become more intense and prevalent. There’s also a spike in brain activity during Stage 4, which is why many attribute REM sleep to vivid dreams. While your eyes and breathing muscles are still active in this phase, the rest of your body experiences atonia - a temporary state of paralysis. During the first few go-arounds, you typically spend 20 to 40 minutes in Stage 3, while that timeframe dwindles toward the latter portions of your rest.Īs the final stage in a given sleep cycle, Stage 4 is marked by the body’s entrance into what’s known as rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep. Some also claim that time spent in Stage 3 can bolster the immune system and other key bodily functions.Īs you move through each sleep cycle, your time spent in Stage 3 will drop. Deep sleep is vital to your body’s recuperation during sleep, as it grants you the best chance to recover during a relaxed state. Brain activity in Stage 3 is also identifiable through the presence of delta waves. Stage 3 marks your entrance into what’s known as “deep sleep.” In this phase of the night, your breaths, heart rate and muscle tone decrease so the body can relax even further. Typically, athletes can be suspended in their first Stage 2 for roughly 10 to 25 minutes, and even longer with each passing cycle throughout the night. Stage 2 is also unique as it’s the first sleep stage in a cycle that begins to lengthen with each go-around. Eye movement begins to dwindle, and brain waves show a new pattern. Additionally, your body temperature can begin to see a drop. In Stage 2, your body begins to enter a more subdued state as your muscles relax more, your breathing begins to slow and heart rate falls. According to the Sleep Foundation, we typically spend about half of our sleep time in this stage. Stage 2, or N2, is still considered “light sleep,” but this is a solid chunk of your sleep cycle when breaking down your night as whole. If you’re undisturbed and comfortable in a solid sleep environment - comfy mattress, cool temperatures, well-fitting pajamas - you can breeze through Stage 1 and enter the next realm of your cycle. You’ll likely be in this stage for 1 to 7 minutes. This is why it’s so easy to wake someone up just as they’ve begun to nod off. While your body hasn’t fully relaxed at this stage, brain activity and other functions begin to slow slightly with periods of brief movements. Stage 1 is when you first fall asleep and is some of the lightest slumber you’ll experience in a given night.
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