The Significance of Having a Good Night Sleep

Sleep is an ample time for your body to rest and regain strength after the tiring day. Many people think that sleep is all the same, when, in fact, it is not true. Sleep is categorized into two: high quality and poor quality sleep. The truth of the matter is that some have good sleep while others have poor sleep, which is the reason why some people wake up in the morning feeling refreshed while others still feel tired.

A poor quality sleep can be noticed by the brain wave pattern when a person sleeps. The waves are fragmented and are different from each other. A person with a poor quality sleep feels tired and sluggish. On the other hand, a good quality sleep will leave you feeling energized and revitalized. It strengthens your immune system and decreases the possibility of having cardiovascular-related diseases.

What happens during sleep?

If you are sleeping your body goes through some changes. Your heart rate and blood pressure decrease. There is a slight decrease in your body temperature and your breathing pattern somehow decreases. It is also during sleep that the growth hormone is released. This is the reason why when you were younger your parents told you to sleep a lot. Another important thing to note is that cortisol is released during sleep.

Sleep is not just closing your eyes and go to sleep for several hours. What happens during sleep is that the body undergoes four to five cycles of about one and a half hour every night. The cycle consists of two stages of light sleep, a stage of REM/sleep/dream, and two stages of deep sleep. These stages can be monitored through the brain waves as seen on the frequency and amplitude of the waves as you sleep.

The stages of sleep

First and second stage

Light sleep that comes after you fall asleep. The brain waves are quite rapid but slow down as you enter the next stage.

Third and fourth stage

It is the stage of the deep sleep.

REM/dream stage

This is the stage where you are nearly awake and the brain waves are at the rapid speed. The dream stage could last for a few minutes to twenty minutes or even more. The cycle will then be again repeated for about four to five times each night.

People who sleep soundly at night do not have a problem with these stages. They can go on with their sleep smoothly and do not wake up in the middle of the night. The brain waves are uniform and the transition from one stage to another is smooth. On the other hand, people with poor sleep have an irregular section of brain waves. The waves are fragmented changing from slow regular waves to rapid waves. Some people wake up in the middle of the night while others feel tired and restless upon waking up.

For your body to feel recharged and energized, you need to have a good quality sleep. There are now many different ways to achieve a good night sleep and help your body cope with stress.

Written by Guest Author for The Healthy Moms Magazine and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

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