Khiem Huynh
00909909
2/7/2012
Sleeping Stages
An average person spends 8 hours to sleep every day, which means I have to spend 8*365*70= 204400 hours in bed, calculated as 1/3 of my life time sleeping. (Let imagine I only live until 70). So why don’t we learn more about sleeping? Sleeping, which refreshes
you mentally and physically, is really important. To know more about sleeping,
lots of scientists and many groups of people have studied this simple activity
to understand more about our needed action. Basically, sleeping has two primary
phases: NREM (Non-rapid eye movement) and REM (Rapid eye movement).
In NREM phase, there are
actually three stages. Most of your sleeping occurs in this phase. Before
getting into a deep sleep, people have to go through the first
stage, during which light sleep occurs. People can be woken up easily in
this stage by things such as sudden actions with loud noises or unexpected
temperature drops. Throughout this period some muscles are uncontrollable. Some
males or females have experienced this type of action before, during which they
may accidentally raise their hands or kick their legs up. I usually kick
my left leg up before I get into the second stage.
Fifty percent of your
sleeping time is in this second stage. During this term, your eyes stop moving
around. Your heart rate and breathing are maintained as normal, but your body
temperature slowly drops down. One article explains, “You become disengaged to
your surroundings” (Stibich, 2009). People suggest setting your room
temperature before you get into this stage. In my opinion, setting the
temperature about twenty degrees Celsius or sixty nine degrees Fahrenheit is
the best for your sleep. Of course, you also can adjust the
temperature a little bit higher or lower to fit in your conditions.
The more comfortable the temperature is, the more you get into a deeper
sleep.
In the final stage of NREM
sleep, you are no longer in the light sleep stage. People will have some
trouble waking you up during this period of time. Unlike in the second
stage, your blood pressure drops and you breathe slowly. Even your muscles get
less tense and are more likely to relax. Most of your energy that you
wasted during the day will be restored in this stage. Your hormones are
released to help your development. You may feel confused and irritated for a
few minutes if someone wakes you up during your deep sleep. People will feel
rejuvenated and refreshed the next day if they have a good deep sleep.
According to the National
Sleep Foundation, the REM phase “first occurs about 90 minutes after falling
asleep and recurs about every 90 minutes, getting longer later in the night” (n.d.).
You may also dream in this phase, which is why I call this the "Dreaming Phase”.
My mom told me that people who have colored dreams are more artistic and more
likely to involved in artistic work. Also, in this period of time your eyes
move and your muscles become motionless. The REM phase provides energy to your body
and brain.
Finally, sleeping is
very important because it is an action that takes place every day in our
lifes. To understand the critical factors of how each sleeping
period affects the body, people should know more about the stages of
sleeping. Not just to understand the process of sleeping; you should read more
facts to help you have better sleep habits.
References
Stibich, Mark. "The Stages of
Sleep - Sleep Cycles – Sleeps Phases." Longevity, Anti-Aging, and You - Advice for a Long, Healthy Life. The New
York Times Company, 24 Jan. 2009. Web. 05 Feb.2012.
<http://longevity.about.com/od/sleep/a/sleep_stages.htm>.
"What Happens When You
Sleep?" National Sleep Foundation. n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2012. <http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/what-happens-when-you-sleep>.
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