Sleep is one of the many biological rhythms that humans experience. In particular, the sleep wake cycle is called the circadian rhythm. This rhythm runs on a roughly twenty-four-hour cycle. Sleep consists of roughly a third of it and is controlled by the hypothalamus within the brain. The typical sleep cycle consists of five different stages and can lead to health consequences if not fully rested.
A typical night’s sleep cycle consists of two different types of sleep known as NREM (non-Rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). These types of sleep make up the five different stages a person is in while sleeping. When a person first begins to drift to sleep, their awake (W) beta waves begin to decrease and alpha waves increase. When the person is finally in N1, the alpha waves have stopped and the larger theta waves become predominant. Once in N1, a person is in a light sleep that is fairly easy to come out of. Stage N2 will come next with the slowing of the heart rate and breathing. Short, increased activity can be found in this stage called sleep spindles. …show more content…
This stage is known as deep sleep as the waves are the longest indicating a low level of functioning. Once in N3 sleep for a while, the person will progress back to N2 sleep and then to REM sleep. In REM sleep, the voluntary muscles in the body become paralyzed and the body enters a period to where it is almost as if the person is awake. In this period, an EEG would detect beta waves and a person would most likely report that they had been dreaming. Once the REM stage is completed, a person would reenter stage N1 and the cycle would continue until the person wakes
A typical night’s sleep cycle consists of two different types of sleep known as NREM (non-Rapid eye movement) and REM (rapid eye movement). These types of sleep make up the five different stages a person is in while sleeping. When a person first begins to drift to sleep, their awake (W) beta waves begin to decrease and alpha waves increase. When the person is finally in N1, the alpha waves have stopped and the larger theta waves become predominant. Once in N1, a person is in a light sleep that is fairly easy to come out of. Stage N2 will come next with the slowing of the heart rate and breathing. Short, increased activity can be found in this stage called sleep spindles. …show more content…
This stage is known as deep sleep as the waves are the longest indicating a low level of functioning. Once in N3 sleep for a while, the person will progress back to N2 sleep and then to REM sleep. In REM sleep, the voluntary muscles in the body become paralyzed and the body enters a period to where it is almost as if the person is awake. In this period, an EEG would detect beta waves and a person would most likely report that they had been dreaming. Once the REM stage is completed, a person would reenter stage N1 and the cycle would continue until the person wakes