8.19 HAPPINESS MEANS

3.43 SITTING –HOW BAD IT IS FOR YOUR HEALTH!

3.42 MINOR CHANGES IN WALKING YIELD MAJOR BENEFITS

3.41 WALK YOUR WAY TO BETTER HEALTH

3.40 SOLES OF HUMAN FEET ARE CREATED TO GET ACUPRESSURE THERAPY BY MERE WALKING

1.50 EYE FACTS PUZZLING

 

4.16 IDEAL SLEEP CYCLES & their affects on our body

                 IDEAL SLEEP CYCLES & their affects on our body

 Sleep is composed of two stages- REM and non-REM. During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, eyes move quickly in different directions. During non-REM sleep that doesn't happen. When you go to sleep, you cycle between non-REM & REM sleep. First one is non-REM sleep, followed by a shorter period of REM sleep and then the cycle starts over again. During the night, you alternate between REM and non-REM stages, 4-5 times.
 

Non-REM sleep: There are three phases of non-REM sleep. Each phase can last from 5 to 15 minutes. You go through all three phases before reaching REM sleep.

Phase 1: Your eyes are closed, but it is easy to wake you up. This phase may last for 5 to 10 minutes.

Phase 2: You are in light sleep. Your heart rate slows and your body temperature drops. Your body is getting ready for deep sleep.

Phase 3: This is the deep sleep phase. It is harder to rouse you during this stage, and if someone woke you up, you would feel disoriented for a few minutes.

Older people sleep more lightly and get less deep sleep. Aging is also linked to shorter time spans of sleep.

REM sleep: REM sleep is marked by extensive physiological changes, such as accelerated respiration & heart rate, increased brain activity, eye movement, and muscle relaxation. Usually, REM sleep happens 90 minutes after you fall asleep. The first period of REM typically lasts 10 minutes. Each of your later REM stages gets longer, and the final one may last up to an hour.

People dream during REM sleep, perhaps as a result of excited brain activity and the paralysis of major voluntary muscles.

Babies can spend up to 50% of their sleep in the REM stage, compared to only about 20% for adults.

What goes on when you sleep?

A lot happens in your body while you sleep. Your brain recharges, cells repair themselves, body releases important hormones.
 
Non-REM sleep helps in physical repair  and rebuilding. During this period , pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair our body. The body repairs & re-grows tissues, builds bones & muscles and strengthens the immune system.

REM sleep helps in mental consolidation. To be mentally alert during the day, the REM sleep is more important. No wonder when you wake up with an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, you are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess (lack of non-REM sleep), you are tired throughout the day, moving like zombie and your immunity is way down.

If you are not getting enough sleep, you are playing with fire, even if you have low stress. Many of us are missing sleep perhaps out of ignorance.