Psychology: REM Sleeping Stage

In college many students don’t tend or feel they get enough sleep during the night. The reason why this might be the problem would because of the different stages of REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement).

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM Sleep) is when you do most active dreaming. Your eyes actually move back and forth during this stage, which is why it is called Rapid Eye Movement.

There are four stages of sleep the Transition to Sleep, the Light Sleep, Deep Sleep, and the Dream Sleep.

The Stages of Sleep

Stage1(Transition to sleep)- This stage last about five minutes. Your eyes move slowly under the eyelids, muscle activity slows down, and you are easily awake.

Stage 2(Light sleep)- This is the first stage of true sleep. Lasting from 10 to 25 minutes. Your eye movement’s stops, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases.

Stage 3(Deep sleep)- You’re difficult to awaken, and if you are awake, you don’t just adjust immediately and often eel groggy for several minutes. In the deepest stage of sleep, your brain waves are extremely slow. Blood flow is directed away from your brain and towards your muscles, restoring physical energy.

Stage 4(Dream sleep)- About 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep, you enter REM sleep, where dreaming occurs. Your eyes move rapidly, your breathing shallows, and your heart and blood pressure increase. Also during this stage, your arm and leg muscles are paralyzed.

By~ Melina Smith



 

This means that some of us human get different sleeping patterns, which can affect our age, the amount of recent sleep or wakefulness, the time of the day or night relative to an individual’s internal clock, other behaviors prior to sleep such as exercise stress, environmental conditions such as temperature and light, and various chemicals.

In the article, “Natural Patterns of Sleep”, by Scammell concludes that sleep history – the quantity and quality of an individual’s sleep in recent days can also have dramatic effects on sleep patterns. This means that if you don’t get enough sleep during the night that it can start to affect your own health.

Daytime napping can be very beneficial because it helps to restore one’s energy and alertness. After naps for most people last about 30 to 60 minutes. If you have a longer time sleeping then it is most likely a risk of falling into deep sleep and has a difficult time waking up.

According to sleep experts, napping can be a good way for people who don’t sleep well at night and catch up, however people with insomnia may make their nighttime sleep problem worse by sleeping during the day. Otherwise, they would recommend naps for people who feel they benefit from them.

In the article, “Exploring the Mystery of REM Sleep” by Psychologist Vitelli, explains why are the reasons why we dream, he also says that, “Among different theories about REMsleep’s function are that it helps in forming new memories, stimulates thecentral nervous system , and restores the brain chemistry to a normal balance.” I believe that this is really important to know, so why don't we all learn more about REM Sleep to have a healthier lifestyle?