Sleep is an integral part of our life that works towards the internal functioning of our brain. Therefore, getting adequate sleep always determines a healthy body and mind. But many of you still complain of not having a good night’s sleep and especially keeping awake in the night leads to insomnia. Hence in this article, we will decode some facts related to sleep and its stages, types, and some effective ways that tell how to sleep better.
Table of Contents
How does sleep work on your body?
Neurotransmitters, the chemicals that signal the nerves determine whether you are awake or asleep. The neurons present in the brain stem connect the spinal cord with the brain to generate norepinephrine and serotonin. Now, these two neurotransmitters play a key role in keeping the brain in active mode when you are awake.
Now when you are asleep the other type of neurons in the brain starts to work on their way. That means they turn off those neurons that signal to keep you awake.
As per research the moment you are awake a type of chemical called the adenosine tries to build up in the blood and that results in dizziness. Now the moment when you fall asleep that begins to disintegrate gradually.
Stages of sleep
Here is an insight into the stages of sleeping:
Early-stage of sleeping
When you almost start sleeping, you will see that you are almost alert and sound. During this time, the brain releases a kind of beta wave, which is fast and small.
Once your brain loses its alertness, slower alpha waves are produced. It was during this period when you begin to experience sensations, which are like hallucinations called the hypnagogic. It is almost the stage when you begin to hear that someone is calling you.
Also, note that during this time you also get shocked or suddenly get startled or feel like falling down. Researchers explained this phenomenon as the myoclonic jerk.
Stage 1 NERM
Stage 1 of NERM of the non-rapid eye movement states that it is the beginning of the sleeping phases. In this phase people, usually have a light form of sleep. Precisely it is the transition between the asleep and awake. A kind of waves called the theta waves are produced in this period and these are high amplitude types of waves. At this stage, you will stay awake only for 5 to 10 minutes only.
Stage 2 NREM
During this period, the people experience a sudden drop in the temperature of the body. In fact, they are not much aware of what is happening in and around. Talking about the heart rate and its rhythm is quite normal at this stage.
Now this stage persists for 20 minutes on an average. The brain actually releases faster brain waves, which follow a definite rhythm, and this is known as the sleep spindles. It is seen that approximately 50% of the individual completes their sleep in this stage only.
Stage 3: NREM
Initially, this particular phase of sleeping was subdivided. At this stage, the brain produces Delta waves that are slow and profound. Individuals do not reciprocate much and seem passive at this phase.
Again, this is the transitional phase between the profound and light sleep. Note that at this stage 3 the blood pressure begins to drop and the muscles will reach its relaxation zone.
According to research, people who have the habit of sleepwalking usually do take place during this stage only.
Stage 4: Rem sleep
REM sleep or the Rapid eye movement sleep is stage 4 precisely. When you think of elaborating REM sleep fundamentally, it features the fast movement of eyes. In addition to that this stage bestows you with an enhanced rate of respiration. The most interesting part is that at this stage the brain performs most of the activities.
One can even define this stage as the paradoxical stage of sleeping as well. This stage is like a blessing because the muscles are more in a relaxed form of state. However, voluntary muscles remain immobile. And one can start to dream in this stage when the brain experiences some accentuated level of activity.
So the above narrated are the 4 important stages of the sleeping. Now we will move on to describe what the importance of sleeping actually is.
Benefits of sleeping
Here are the ways sleep can benefit your life:
Increased memory power
People with a sound sleep in the night are owners of a good memory. When you lie down to sleep the body rests while the brain remains active and works on your memories. Therefore more power increases.
No high blood pressure risk
When you sleep the body remains in a state of relaxation. Therefore it reduces the blood pressure level thus no chance of getting a heart attack as well.
Keeps the bodyweight balanced
When you sleep properly, the hormones inside your body are in check that is why you don’t feel like eating too much or frequent appetite does not bother you anymore. Therefore, note that sleep does not directly contribute to losing weight but it helps to keep the weight under regulation.
Lifts up your mood
Note that if you take a good night’s sleep then obviously your mood is lifted and you can stay calm, composed. In fact, you will be able to deal with any situation sensibly.
Sleep is the real healer
Sometimes you have faced too much pain your leg. But automatically a peaceful sombre can minimize that pain. That means more sleep means less effect of pain.
No diabetes
Less sleep can also hamper the processing of glucose in your body. Therefore ensure that you try to get the abundant sleep so that it can put a check on the spread of type 2 diabetes as well.
Uplifts the immunity system
Sleeping and rest are the two significant keywords you need to remember when your immunity level shows a downfall. That means whenever infection attacks you, you feel down with runny nose, or cold, just get enough sleep to fight back.
These are some of the key benefits, which sleeping assures to offer you always. Till now we have talked about sleep, stages, and benefits. Now let’s move on to understand a bit about the lack of sleeping disorder or insomnia.
What do you mean by insomnia?
Insomniac people find it tougher to fall sleep. Also, they can’t experience all the stages of sleep at once. Therefore, you can say that this stage is precisely described as insomnia. And insomniac people often suffer from concentration problems, disturbance in mood level, and also get tired very easily.
Types of insomnia
Here are some of the types of insomnia that you can possibly have:
Onset insomnia
This is a type of insomnia when you feel difficulty in falling asleep initially.
Maintenance insomnia
This is a type of insomnia when people fail to restore the lost sleep. For example, you had to get to up in the middle of sleeping for having water or going to the washroom. Now when you return you actually find it very uneasy as it does not return easily.
Comorbid insomnia
This is a type of insomnia that is accompanied by auxiliary psychiatric issues like depression or anxiety. People with these symptoms feel very uncomfortable during the night. On top of that, other health ailments like the pain in the back or arthritis can also create such an issue.
Chronic insomnia
This is a kind of insomnia, which is consistently creating a sleeping issue. Now, this duration may vary. Some people will see that they are having problems staying awake for three consecutive days while some will see that the problem persists for three consecutive months. Also, note that chronic insomnia may be a result of the previous history of any sleeping problem.
Acute insomnia
Acute insomnia is a condition when a person’s sleep gets affected due to any kind of stressful occasion in life. Now it can be anything. Sometimes it may happen due to travel or job or due to any sad event. But you actually don’t need any specified type of treatment to cure acute insomnia.
Now so far the discussion was on insomnia. Therefore from this, you have already understood that insomniac literally faces a problem with sleeping however sleeping is very essential to live an active life.
Effective ways to know how to sleep better
Follow the below-said tips to get clear thought on how to sleep well:
No caffeine in the daytime
All those coffee lovers should be careful as caffeine might destroy their cozy sleep. It is because once you take coffee it activates the nervous system thus disturbs your sleeping pattern during the night time.
Reduce the daytime sleep
You also need to pay attention to the day time sleep as well. There are many who have developed this habit of sleeping during the daytime. Ideally, it is good to rely on 45 minutes nap but if you extend the duration more than that obviously it will hamper your night-time sleep as well. As a result, night-time sleep turns out to be a struggle.
Sleep and awake at the same time
You should note that the body follows a type of rhythm called the circadian rhythm. According to this the body and mind follow a particular rhythm in regards to the darkness and light. Now suppose if you sleep at different times every day obviously you need to tussle with your sleep. So make sure you consistently follow a single sleeping and waking time. so this is the best answer for how to sleep well.
Have supplements for melatonin
Do you know what is melatonin? If not yet, note that melatonin is one of the vital hormones that dictate the brain when to sleep and when to stay awake. Therefore if you want to know how to sleep well, then obviously you should pay extra heed to have melatonin supplement. This will not only enhance the quality of your sleep but will also let you sleep quite earlier.
Try not to have alcohol
For those who are in the habit of boozing in the night time should refrain from that. Otherwise, if you take a few pegs in the night and would plan to have a sound sleep. Well be aware that is not going to happen because anyhow it will destroy the sleeping regularity and will lead to the ailment like sleep apnea. Also, keep in mind that it will distract the production of melatonin during the night time thus causing a problem in your sleep.
Have dinner within 8 pm
The dinner timing has a lot to do with your sleep. Well, this can be the best answer to the question of how to sleep better. That means you need to remember that you should not eat late. Also, make sure in the night try to have less carb and easily digestible foods. Note that having large meals just before bedtime might distract the production of the hormone.
Take a shower in the evening
When you think of taking a shower in the late evenings, ensure that you resort to the hot baths. It is because the warm shower can increase the quality of the sleep. If not bath, you can also take a pedicure as well.
Room ambiance should be cozy
Do you know that the ambiance of your room has a lot to do with your sleep? Well, when you search for the best way on how to sleep well just assure you that your room ambiance is cozy. That means there is no external noise or light to hinder your sleep.
Bed and linen should be comfortable
If you really want to know how to sleep better, then pay attention to your bed and linens. Try to use a comfortable mattress that promises to reduce the back pain and shoulder aches. It also will help you keep your body stretched and relaxed.
Exercise every day
You need to exercise on a regular basis to assure that your body remains active and metabolism stays at par. Therefore doing so in the daytime will keep you energized. As a result, it will bestow you with uninterrupted sleep at night.
Final thoughts
The conscription of the above article will let you get a detailed idea of sleep and it will also let you know about tips that will help you know how to sleep better.
