Deep Sleep

Most people think that the sleep cycle takes all night. The facts are, however, that one complete sleep cycle only takes between ninety minutes and one hundred and ten minutes. Deep sleep takes up a little less than half of a sleep cycle and it at the opposite end of the cycle from REM sleep.

During deep sleep, which are the third and fourth stages of non-REM sleep, the delta waves make up around fifty percent of the waves present in the brain (these waves are absent in adults who are awake). During deep sleep a person might experience sleep walking, sleep-talking, bed wetting and night terrors. Deep sleep is also the only kind of sleep a person can “catch up” on. What this means is that, if a person does not get enough deep sleep one night, they will have more deep sleep than is normal the next night, to make up for the previous night's deep sleep deprivation. The other sleep cycles do not operate like this.

It is during this cycle that a person is very hard to wake up and, if woken up during this portion of the sleep cycle, they are often groggy and disoriented.

The other major stages of the sleep cycle involve more brain activity and less delta wave activity. In the first stage of sleep, the brain moves from alpha waves (the most common waves for a person who is awake) to theta waves. It is during this stage of sleep that people might twitch or experience hypnic jerks. They might also experience hynoagogic hallucinations, which can sometimes be worrisome to the person falling asleep. The second stage of sleep is known for its “sleep spindles” and it is during this stage of sleep that the person loses their conscious awareness of the environment outside of his or her body.

Most of the focus on the sleep cycle is given to the REM stage of sleep. This is because, though the body has almost no muscle tone during REM, the brain activity is almost exactly the same as the brain activity of a person who is awake. It is during REM sleep that a person dreams.

Dreams are a fascinating subject. Nobody is sure exactly why people dream or if the dreams have any sort of deeper meaning, but one thing is agreed upon by scientists and theologists alike: the brain is incredibly active during REM sleep even though the body is completely still. REM sleep is the most studied stage of a person's sleep cycle.

Deep sleep is the only kind of sleep that a person can catch up on, though the other stages of sleep are equally fascinating. Much attention is given, not to deep sleep, but to REM sleep. This is most likely because scientists are fascinated by an active brain in a dormant body. Nobody is sure why the brain “wakes up” and the body doesn't, but it is something that scientists are working around the clock to try to figure out.

Difficulty Sleeping Tip #1

Caffeine is only your friend during the morning hours. Even though you might not think that caffeine affects you very much, it does play a big part in your body's ability to settle down and rest at the end of the day. If you must have coffee, switch to decaf after lunch. Caffeine can affect your body for up to eight hours. The longer it has to leave your system the less likely it is to affect your sleeping habits.

Difficulty Sleeping Tip #2

Exercise will not wear you out; it will actually pump you up. Exercise actually gives people energy. While you might feel tired immediately after a workout, your body will not sleep well if you try to do your workout right before bed. It is also bad for your body as a rule to go from lots of motion to staying still. This is why there are warm ups and cool downs before and after exercise workouts.

Difficulty Sleeping Tip #3

While many of us may fall asleep while watching television, if you are having sleeping problems, you want to give yourself at least an hour before going to bed that is television free. Television is a stimulant for your brain (even if the material is not particularly scholarly in content). Watching it right before bed keeps you awake and it takes a while for your brain to wind down after you turn the television off.