In later sleep cycles, we experience more REM sleep. In the earlier sleep cycles of the night, more time is spent in NREM sleep. The most intense dreaming happens during REM sleep, which empowers memory and complex thinking when you’re awake. In this stage, most of your body is temporarily paralyzed, but brain activity dramatically increases and your eyes rapidly move behind closed lids. The fourth stage of sleep is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Stage 3 is deep sleep, which is believed to be vital for both physical and mental recuperation. Stages 1 and 2 are lighter sleep, with the body and mind beginning to relax and slow down.
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The first three stages of the sleep cycle are collectively known as non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM). On a typical night, you cycle through all four sleep stages in order several times. Getting enough sleep each night allows your mind and body to capture sleep’s restorative benefits and avoid the consequences of sleep deprivation.įrom an outside perspective, all sleep may look the same, but in reality, it involves complex processes with four distinct stages that make up a sleep cycle. Sleep is critical for nearly every system of the body.
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A doctor is in the best position to make a detailed sleep recommendation for any individual based on their unique situation. Sleep recommendations provide an overview of how much sleep most people need, but the exact amount of sleep a specific person should get can depend on other factors, such as their overall health.