About a hundred years ago, the birth of modern sleep research and the discovery of different sleep phases. The German neurologist and psychiatrist Hans Berger was working on a way to make the electrical activity of the brain visible. Today, the electroencephalography (EEG) is a well-established method for the investigation of various disease pictures.
The fine electrodes are placed at the head of the Sleep, the recording of his brain waves. On the basis of these records, it became clear that our sleep occurs in different stages. Today’s science divides our sleeping rhythm to be in the five stages of sleep, the expert Dr. Hans Günter Blind explained. (Also read: Healthy sleep: the best tips from the experts)
1. Sleep Stage W
The wax phase is an integral part of the sleep research. After all, roughly five percent of the sleep (Sleep not included) we spend per night in the waking state, even if mostly unconsciously. We close our eyes and are awake, slows down our brain activity, there is oscillations between 8 and 13 Hz are measured, the so-called Alpha waves – now we are deeply relaxed and ready to fall asleep. Exactly these vibrations researchers observe, by the way, when we apply Meditation or other relaxation techniques.
2. Sleep Stage N1
We drift into sleep, our brain resonates more in the still slower Theta waves, between 4 and 7 Hz. This is his guards, a state between on and sleep, so a transition phase. In this Phase, we usually spend about five percent of our sleep. We can dream something, but to Wake very easily. (Also interesting: experts advise: How much sleep do you need for a long life)
3. Sleep Stage N2
Now we sleep really, half of our sleep time do we spend in this stage. We are no longer easy to Wake up and be annoying, if someone does.
4. Sleep Stage N3 (Deep Sleep)
In the deep stage of sleep our brain activity is the slowest, the so-called Delta waves of 0.5 to 2 Hz. The Weckschwelle is now at its highest. In deep sleep all the important regeneration and repair processes in the body, the brain remembers know facts, unimportant things are discarded. About 90 minutes we spend per night at a sleep need of 7 to 8 hours in this stage, the duration of our deep sleep is only about 1.5 hours – much less than most people believe. (Read also: lose weight in your sleep – an expert explains how it works)
5. REM sleep
Now, our brain activity increases significantly, we seem as if we sleep, our body runs in high gear, the brain shows a mixture of Theta-, Alpha – and Beta-waves, we now consume almost as much energy as in the waking state, and we are difficult to weckbar – therefore, this REM is called the Phase of paradoxical sleep. In REM sleep we dream, especially emotionally, we store new sequences of movement, process, and regulate emotions. “REM” back in the name stands for Rapid Eye Movement because during this phase of sleep, our eyes behind the closed eyelids very quickly back and forth. Our skeletal muscles are paralyzed during this sleep phase, and that is a good thing, because otherwise we would implement our movements that we make in our Dreams, in fact. (Also interesting: 3 mistakes that (almost) Everyone when Sleeping)
So the different stages of sleep affect our well-being
“These are the five stages of sleep in sleep cycles, which on average take approximately 90 minutes each. Depending on the genetic sleep need, we have cycles per night between four and six Sleep“, explains Dr. Blind. The most pleasant or to Wake up it is to Wake up at the end of REM sleep, because our brain is almost as active as in the waking state. The engine is running, so to speak, then you have to select the correct gear and can start. Both too much sleep, as well as a too late bedtime can bring these to the natural rhythm of sleep stages and sleep cycles are a mess and not lead that we are rested and fit, but tired and irritated to Wake up.
To arouse certain phases of sleep?
Sleep phase alarm clocks and other Apps and Wearables does not consider a lot of our expert: “you are not in the location, our bedroom really map, so I can’t recommend such devices. You are working with stone age methods of sleep research. I think they are even counterproductive, because there is the temptation to fixate too much on his sleep – and not sleep well,“ he explains. He recommends instead, in time to go to bed, you Wake up in the morning without an alarm clock, our body remembers all by itself, when the ideal time has come. (Everything around the topic of healthy sleep can be found here)
This article was written by (Eva Stammberger)
*The post “What stages of sleep are actually?” is published by GQ. Contact with the executives here.