Normal sleep cycle stages 

If you're having a hard time getting to rest it is critical that comprehending rest mechanism and what makes up a healthy night of rest may be useful in comprehending why you have a sleep condition.  Comprehending sleep is not so simple because you are not necessarily up or asleep.  Your body engages in several procedures once your eyes shut and you doze off that determines how restful that sleep is to you.

Drowsiness is the first stage of sleeping as your feel yourself let go, your muscles fall into a limp state, and your eyes may be heavy enough to close on their own.  This stage is very quick, taking only a few minutes to develop, somewhere around ten full minutes.  The very next stage of sleep is considered a very light "stage two" and in this state your temperature and respiratory system retreat.  Your pulse will also slow down as well during this part of sleep.

Both stage three and stage four of the sleep cycles are classified as deep sleep and are where you may have difficulty waking up.  You will possibly feel very dazed and incoherent but this stage allows the brain to rest and as a result blood flow actually decreases, after which it is redirected to the body in order to help restore the body.  It is important to note that there is a increased level of immune action during these two vital stages of your good night's rest.

Stage five is considered REM sleep and is generally thought of as the dreaming phase of a good night's rest.  Drifting in and out of stage five happens often so you might have anywhere from three to five 70-90 minute long sessions within the REM.  This part of the sleep process is defined by some physical breathing conditions of the shallow sort, deep or even irregular.  You may also experience your heart quickening as a rise in blood pressure.

This exact moment in the sleep cycle is good for helping your mind process heavy emotions, stress reduction and giving the person a truly good night's sleep.  People who sleep lightly are trapped in stage two and cannot seem to get to stages three and four where they need to be in order to obtain the most rest possible.  People who have difficulty waking up likely are stuck in the deeper parts of sleep and rise suddenly when they wake up rather than travel through each stage on the way to waking up.

The stages of sleep also change based on how much time you spent in each cycle the evenings before, so if you spend more time in deep sleep one night you will likely sleep lightly the following evening.  It really balances out over time and you will spend about the same average over time in all of the sleep stages.  That is why it is more accurate to say that you won't catch up on sleep but you can catch up on rest.

 Get The Bipolar Disorder Guide