The Four Stages of Sleep
Sleep. One of the things required for life. In fact, the average human spends about 1/3 of their life sleeping. We all know sleep is a state of unconsciousness, but there is more to sleep than you think. There are actually four stages of sleep. Stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and finally, REM sleep.
By: Olivia Migliorisi
Sleep. One of the few things required to keep us alive. In fact, the average human spends about 1/3 of their life sleeping. We all know sleep is a state of unconsciousness, but there is more to sleep than you think. There are actually four stages of sleep. Stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and finally, REM sleep.
Stage 1 of sleep occurs when a person just starts to fall asleep, and lasts anywhere from 1 to 7 minutes. If he/she is woken up in this stage, they might not even realize they were asleep. In this time, the brain activities start to change just a little bit during these few minutes. The more undisturbed the sleeper is, the faster stage 2 will arrive.
Stage 2 happens just a few minutes after you first drift off, and during this stage, your heart and breathing rates slow down, while the body relaxes. In the first sleep cycle, you spend anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes in stage 2. In total, a person usually spends about half the time they are sleeping in stage 2. Like stage 1, stage 2 of sleep is considered a “light sleep.”
Stage 3 is considered a “deep sleep.” A persons brain waves start to slow, and if they are woken up in this stage, they will feel tired and disoriented. This stage lasts about 20 to 40 minutes.
The final stage of sleep is REM sleep. “REM” stands for Rapid Eye Movement. The final stage of sleep is called REM sleep because the eyes of the person sleeping move from side to side underneath their eyelids. REM sleep is when dreaming occurs.
The sleep cycle will occur 4 to 6 times per night, and can last 90 to 120 minutes each time.