Where Do You Sleep?
There are 4 stages of sleep. Where do you spend the majority of your sleep? Where SHOULD you spend your time asleep? And WHY?
The 4 stages of sleep are N1, N2, N3, and REM. The true purpose of the first 2 stages is to get you to the second 2 stages because all of the good stuff happens in the last 2 stages of your sleep cycle. The first sleep cycle is about 90 – 120 minutes in length. You may have 4-6 cycles per night with each cycle getting shorter.
The Four Stages of Sleep Are as Follows:
N1 – Transition – The shortest of the sleep stages – about 5% of the total cycle. Its purpose is to get you to N2.
N2 – Light – The longest of the sleep stages – about 45% of the cycle. Its purpose is to get you to N3 and REM. However, with the micro-arousals from snoring and the apneic events of sleep apnea, you could spend even more time here. The parafunctions of clenching and grinding teeth associated with headaches and migraines could also keep you from stages N3 and REM.
N3 – Deep – This is the stage where true rest and regeneration occurs – about 25% of the cycle. During this stage, everything slows to true relaxation. Slow, Delta Wave sleep allows the body to regenerate for another day. People who don’t enter the deep cycle (snoring and/or sleep apnea) will be tired and unrefreshed the next day.
REM – Rapid Eye Movement – This stage is about 25% of the cycle. This is when most memorable dreams occur. It is also where, to use a computer analogy, the things you have worked on all day on your desktop are burned to your hard drive. People who don’t complete a full REM cycle (snoring and/or sleep apnea) tend to complain that they are tired and find it difficult to concentrate. These folks also have problems with short term memory.
Many times we will see patients who will say they can sleep for 10 hours, but still awaken tired. When we review their sleep studies, we have seen 10-20% sleep in N1 and the balance in N2. There is 0% N3 and 0% REM. No wonder they are tired and can barely put one foot in front of the other.
What if the solution could fit in the palm of your hand?
