![]() ![]() There are two main broad types of sleep, each with its own distinct physiological, neurological and psychological features: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (non-REM or NREM) sleep, the latter of which can in turn be divided into three or four separate stages. Although the process of falling into a deeper and deeper sleep is a continuum, with no sharp delineating markers, these sleep stages provide a convenient, if somewhat simplistic, means of describing the depth and type of sleep as the sleep period progresses. Muscle activity (electromyogram or EMG)Ī simplified summary of these results can be combined into a graph called a hypnogram, which gives a useful visual cross-section of sleep patterns and sleep architecture (learn more on sleep measurement ).Brain wave activity (electroencephalogram or EEG).The different types and stages of sleep can be best identified using polysomnography, which simultaneously measures several body functions such as: Researchers have defined these sleep stages by identifying the brainwave activity that occurs at each stage. Types and Stages of Sleep – An IntroductionĮach stage of sleep has its own characteristics and function, although not all functions are known yet. In fact, if you get your recommended seven to nine hours of sleep, your brain cycles through four distinct stages of sleep five or six times before you wake up. While you are sleeping, your body and brain are busy processing the previous day and getting ready for the day ahead. You’ll be tired and cranky the next day, but you’ll catch up the next night, right? The occasional late night of socializing, TV binging, or cramming for a final exam, may not seem like such a big deal. Maybe a dream or two, maybe a bathroom break, but the hours spent sleeping seem pretty uneventful until you wake up the next morning. As far as you’re concerned, nothing much happens while you’re sleeping. You get tired, you power down, climb in bed, and fall asleep. Going to sleep seems like a pretty straightforward process. ![]() Anna Pickering a medical writer who received an honors baccalaureate of science in biochemistry and biophysics, minoring in chemistry, from Oregon State University and her doctorate in cell and molecular biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s John A. ![]()
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