As one of the routines in our daily life, sleep has become a regular thing we do. At night, the sleep hormone melatonin produced a marker that the body needs rest to sleep. You go to bed, lay down and unconsciously you have fallen asleep. The next day, during waking you may not remember exactly how long you have been asleep. You may still remember the beautiful dream last night. Have you ever wondered what really happens when we sleep?
Quiet sleep or non-REM
During the sleep cycle we will have 2 kinds of sleep are state of quiet sleep and active sleep state. Quiet sleep often known as NREM sleep or non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement or No. No Fast Eye Movement).
As quiet or NREM sleep or non-REM, a person's body will experience a quiet activity. The pulse rate, respiration and blood pressure of the body will move more calm and orderly. This is a process in which the body restores the body. The muscles, glands of the body and improved body composition. Substances that are not useful will be removed from the body. At the time of quiet sleep also occur merger proteins that will be used during active sleep.
In the state of quiet sleep or NREM or non-REM, a person will experience 4 phases. Here are the stages that occur when you start falling asleep.
Sleep Light
The first time someone starts to fall asleep, you enter the first stage where you have mild sleep or shallow sleep, in which the muscles will relax your body and brain waves will move irregularly. At this stage usually begins when you are drowsy and fell asleep. The first phase lasted for 30 seconds to 7 minutes of your sleep.
Actually Sleep
Next, you will enter the second phase of actual sleep, where brain waves swell, fragments of thoughts and images may appear and move in our minds but we do not realize it, even you are not aware of the circumstances around you. The second phase lasts for about 20 percent of the entire time you sleep.
More Sleep Asleep
The third stage you sleep more soundly. At this stage, your body begins to be difficult because it was asleep awakened.
Sleep soundly
The fourth stage is the stage of sleep most soundly. At this stage, the brain produces large waves, most of the blood flow to the muscle, recovery and repair body functions. Growth hormone is produced and the process took place at this stage of growth. The third and fourth stage lasted for 50 percent of all our bedtime.
If when asleep, we could not enter the third stage and fourth, then most likely when we'll wake up feeling tired even depression.
Finish entering the fourth stage, you will experience the first stage again, entering the second stage onwards. This cycle will be repeated several times. In general, repetition of this cycle lasted for 3 to 5 times. The duration of 1 time cycle takes about 90 to 110 minutes.
Active Sleep or REM
Every quiet or NREM sleep cycle will end with active sleep or REM (Rapid Eye Movement or Rapid Eye Movement). The opposite of quiet sleep, pulse, respiration, blood pressure and other events take place with more active, rapid and irregular. Blood flow to the brain and brain waves. You can see a person undergoing a period of time when she saw a bulge the eyes move to the left and right because it is in REM sleep, the eyes move quickly to the left and right.
At the time of active or REM sleep is someone having a dream that most will not remember when waking from sleep. You are also experiencing immobility which can not move your muscles. This is useful so you do not move according to your dreams so that harm you. Usually someone is having a dream about once every 90 minutes in a sleep cycle.
Active sleep periods lasted for 25 percent of the total sleep period. At the time of active or REM sleep, the body restore certain functions of the brain and also improve mental health. At this time the mind will select, process, organize, delete things that are not important and store information such as experienced on the previous day when someone had been filming and will prepare the brain and mind to receive new information the next day. Currently active sleep, the brain will remove the short-term memory or data is not important and maintaining long-term memory. This is what makes the bed, the mind feels fresher because the brain more memory available for use again.
In addition, as long as you fall asleep, the body produces T cells can be against pathogens or germs. And in his sleep, the body also produces the hormone leptin to regulate appetite.
For your body to feel good the benefits of sleep, a person must experience all the sleep process and within a reasonable time. If we lack of sleep, it will be difficult to concentrate, memory loss, and vocabulary, decreased ability to think analytically, and loss of creativity. Even the lack of sleep can increase anxiety and depression. So, work for you getting enough sleep every day and feel the benefits.