Stages of Sleep

WHY DO WE SL EE P
There is 4 basic stages to a nights sleep. The first 3
are non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep which
NEED SLEEP?
last about 5-15 minutes long. The last stage is Rapid
Eye Movement (REM) sleep which comes in longer
An introduction
durations. These phases repeat about 5 times in your
nights sleep.

Stage 1… Light sleeping, change from awake to

asleep, everything begins to slow including brain
activity, heart rate, etc.

Stage 2… Transition from light sleep to deep sleep,

everything slows even more than before, eye
movements stop and body temperature drops.
Stage 3… Need this to feel up and ready to go in the
morning everything slows even more, hard to
become awaken, first half of the night
(REM) Rapid Eye Movement… About 90 minutes
after falling asleep and after the first three stages
have been completed, your eyes start to move
frantically from side to side. Also, “your brain
activity starts to ramp up, your breathing and heart
rate become faster and more irregular (almost like
you are awake), your limbs become temporarily
paralyzed so that you can’t act out of your
sleep” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke). (REM) stimulates the learning part of
the brain.
We need sleep to function and perform
most efficiently throughout the day. If
you don’t get enough sleep you will
become sleep deprived and every day will
be that much harder to get through.
Along with sleep deprivation, you might
develop other sleep disorders. In
students and in adults, sleep is important
because when you get the sleep you need,
it is proven that you will perform better
academically and better in the work
place as well. In this informational
pamphlet you will get a deeper reach into
sleep and find out why we need it so
greatly. Also you will find out what
happens when you don’t get the right
amount of sleep that you need.
 SLEEP REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL AGES
15 Million children are suffering from inadequate sleep amounts. We can fix this number by
enforcing our children’s sleep cycles or asking your primary care physician. In the chart shown
below, the recommended sleep amount for all ages are displayed.

Mary Brophy Marcus, a sleep

Sleep Disorders specialist and author, says newborns
should sleep 16-18 hours a day;
Preschool children, 10-12 hours; School-
Most sleep disorders are likely developed from
age children and Adolescents, at least 9
not getting enough sleep. “There is three types
hours; and Adults, 8-8.5 hours.
of sleep disorders. Dyssomnias, parasomnias, and
Individual needs may vary by an hour
medical psychiatric disorders” (Feld and either up or down. It is important to
Rebecca). Sleep disorders can be driven by the have a good sleep cycle because if you

use of alcohol and narcotics too. They can even are getting enough sleep, then you are

get worse during periods of withdrawal of these ready for an entire day of learning or
working and you’ll perform at your
substances. One of the many major sleep
full potential.
disorders is called sleep deprivation. Sleep
deprivation can cause a lot of issues. Listing
some would include: “Your immune system can
Other Fun Facts About Sleep
go against you, your heart rate can go up, you
can become very stressed out, and also gain • Everyone has an “24 hour internal clock” called circadian rhythm. This influences biological and physiological

weight” (Feld and Rebecca). This is just an processes in our sleep cycles. The clock responds to light and dark environments.

example of one out of many sleep disorders that • Body chemicals are very important… chemical messengers like adenosine when mixed with circadian rhythm
can simply be prevented by getting the correct tells you when it’s time to go to sleep. Melatonin also helps the body fall asleep after a day full of energy.
amount of sleep that you need every night. To
• Dreams happen when the cortical parts of our brain (the areas responsible for language) are alive and activated
the right is a chart that explains the correct
during sleep, and when the lower portions of the brain keep signals from getting to our body that would cause
amount of hours of sleep people need to get each
movement or activity.
night.