Why do we have different stages of sleep

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Top of the page. It involves light sleep from which you can be awakened easily. Stage N2 lasts from about 30 to 60 minutes. During this stage, your muscles become more relaxed and you may begin to have slow-wave delta brain activity. Stage N3 is deep sleep and lasts about 20 to 40 minutes. During this stage, delta brain activity increases and a person may have some body movements. Author: Oura Team February 18, What Are The Stages of Sleep?

Each stage of sleep plays a different role in preparing your body for the next day. Tips for Improved Sleep All stages of sleep are important and your body naturally regulates your sleep cycles to make sure you get what you need. After several nights of sufficient deep sleep, REM sleep rebounds to focus on your brain.

Interrupted sleep cycles after caffeine: Caffeine can increase the time it takes for you to fall asleep, cutting your sleep period short. Shorter sleep periods disproportionately cut down on your total REM sleep, as REM cycles are more likely to occur in later sleep cycles. Harness your potential with clear and actionable insights See How.

Brain waves slow down in stage 3 with only a few bursts of activity. This is a deep sleep where muscles relax and breathing slows even more. This stage of sleep is difficult to awaken from and you may feel disoriented if an alarm or disturbance pulls you out of it. Stage 4 is an even deeper sleep where the brain waves further slow and sleepers are very difficult to wake. The final stage of sleep is REM and this is the cycle where we dream.

The eyes move rapidly behind the lids and breathing becomes shallow and rapid. The purpose of this stage and of dreams is thought to stimulate the sections of the brain that are needed for memory and learning and a way for the brain to store and sort information. REM sleep occurs approximately 90 minutes into the sleep cycle. The length of each cycle changes throughout the night, but the typical sleeper will cycle through the stages several times before waking.