The Stages of Sleep and Why They’re Important for Your Health

Are you getting your full 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night? If you have obstructive sleep apnea in Weatherford that interrupts your breathing while you’re asleep, your brain will keep waking you up to unblock the airway. Unfortunately, this will interrupt the sleep cycle, preventing you from getting the full benefits of a good night’s rest. Learn more about the stages your body goes through while asleep – and why completing the full cycle is so important.

Stages 1 and 2: Light Sleep

When you first fall asleep, you enter stage 1 of the sleep cycle, where eye movements first begin to slow down. At this point, your body is still alert to some degree, so outside stimuli could easily cause you to wake up. You only remain in this stage for a few minutes.

Eventually, you’ll enter stage 2 of the cycle; it’s also considered to be fairly light sleep, but the brain will start producing special waves called sleep spindles. These spindles may serve as protection against early awakenings. This stage can take up roughly half of the cycle.

Stages 3 and 4: Deep Sleep and REM Sleep

At stage 3, you will reach what’s considered “deep sleep”, which makes it harder to be awakened. This is the body’s chance to repair any muscles or tissues that were damaged during the day; it’ll also produce protective cytokines to help the immune system and restore energy levels in the cells. For children and teenagers, deep sleep is also good for their overall growth and development.

After a while, you’ll move on to the final stage: REM sleep. REM stands for “rapid-eye movement”; the name comes from how your eyes begin to jerk in various directions. Your body will also experience a faster heart rate, higher blood pressure, and somewhat irregular, shallow breathing. Most importantly, the brain will begin consolidating any new information it learned from the previous day, meaning this final stage is the most important for memory.

You’ll go through the sleep cycle several times every night, and each time you’ll spend less time in deep sleep and more time in REM sleep. Most dreaming occurs during REM sleep, so you’ll most likely be having a (hopefully pleasant) dream upon awakening.

So Why is Uninterrupted Sleep So Important?

If you have a sleep disorder – such as obstructive sleep apnea – that keeps waking you up throughout the night, you won’t spend enough time in stages 3 and 4 of the cycle; as a result, your physical health and mental capabilities will suffer. These issues will worsen over time.

If you constantly feel drowsy or irritable throughout the day, it might be a sign that sleep apnea or another issue is interrupting your sleep cycle; to confirm the presence of a sleep disorder, have a professional perform a sleep study. Do what you can to make sure you’re operating at 100% during the day!

About the Author

Dr. Deborag A. Romack has been practicing in Weatherford since 1998. She continues to keep up with advances in sleep dentistry and has completed numerous obstructive sleep apnea courses. For patients who suffer from breathing issues that prevent them from completing the sleep cycle, she offers a wide variety of oral appliances that keep the airway open. To schedule an appointment at her practice, Weatherford Dental Sleep Medicine, visit her website or call (817) 594-3806.