Slow and REM sleep is the daily norm for adults and children. Sleep phases. The ratio and duration of the phases of slow and fast sleep in a healthy person If fast sleep predominates over slow sleep

NATALIA EROFEEVSKAYA

Duration and quality of sleep– criteria that influence many factors: mood, well-being, feeling of cheerfulness. In preparation for a new day, we try to go to bed early, but in the morning we wake up exhausted and lethargic. On another day, on the contrary, after a short sleep, we wake up on our own, feeling cheerful and strong. Why does this happen and how to learn to get enough sleep? To answer these questions, we will analyze the phases of human REM and NREM sleep in time and their characteristics.

Discoveries of scientists

Today, sleep is an understandable physiological state. But it was not always so. For a long time scientists could not track what changes occur in a person during rest. The topic was closed and difficult to study. In the 19th century, they assessed a person’s posture, measured blood pressure and temperature, and took other indicators. For detailed study, sleepers were awakened and changes were recorded.

Hand turns off alarm clock early in the morning

Early attempts at sleep intervention have yielded results. Scientists have found that sleep goes through stages of varying duration rapid and deep sleep of a person, and their importance is great, since it affects all indicators of the body. The German physiologist Köllschutter found that deep sleep occurs in the first hours of rest, and then it turns into superficial sleep.

After the discovery of electric waves, scientists took a complete picture of what was happening to the sleeper. An electroencephalogram helped to understand what was happening to a person during rest. In this case, the subject did not have to be woken up. Thanks to new technologies, it has become known that sleep goes through 2 phases: slow and fast sleep.

Stages of slow-wave sleep

Orthodox sleep is divided into stages. The stages differ in the duration and depth of rest. Let's look at the stages of slow-wave sleep:

First. Occurs after a person closes his eyes. The first stage is called napping. A person is not yet falling asleep; the brain is in an active stage. Within 10–15 minutes. the vacationer processes information that happened during the day. During this period, solutions are found to the questions that tormented a person.
Second. At this stage, “sleep spindles” appear. They occur at intervals of 3–5 minutes. During their passage, consciousness is completely switched off. In between sleep spindles, a person is sensitive to what is happening around him. He hears voices or sounds. This feature allows the mother to hear the baby’s cry at night. If you call a sleeping person by name, he will immediately wake up. Physiological changes come down to a decrease in muscle activity and a slower heart rate.

During the second slow phase of sleep, a person hears sounds

Third. Stage of delta sleep or transitional. “Sleep spindles” are preserved and become longer lasting. Delta oscillations are added to them. The third stage is called preparatory before deep sleep.

Fourth. At this stage, the pulse quickens and blood pressure rises. The person falls into deep sleep. Dreams during this period are unclear and blurry. If the vacationer wakes up during the fourth stage, he will not remember what he dreamed.

People who sleepwalk or talk in their sleep do not remember anything the next morning. This is due to the fact that all events occur in the deep stage of sleep. Even if you interrupt the sleepwalker, he will not understand why he is not in bed and how he ended up in another room. It is at this stage that people have nightmares.

Duration of deep sleep directly depends on the person’s age and physical condition his body. For example, the duration of a child's deep sleep phase is 20 minutes, but the quality of sleep is completely different than that of most adults: it is much stronger, children may not respond to external stimuli (sound, light, touch). Thus, even the smallest ones restore energy, “reboot” the body’s systems, recharge immune system.

How long does the deep sleep phase last? The deep sleep phase, the duration of which varies depending on the specific stage, generally lasts one and a half to two hours. Of these, 5-10 minutes are “allocated” for dozing, for the second stage (slowing breathing and heart rate) – 20 minutes, for the third and fourth phases – 30-45 minutes each.

The girl sleeps sweetly, hugging a pillow

Features of REM sleep

Upon completion of the deep comes REM sleep. The fifth stage was discovered by Kleitman in 1955. The recorded indicators made it clear that the indicators of the body during REM sleep in humans are similar to the state of wakefulness. The REM sleep phase is accompanied by:

constant movement eyeballs;
significant decrease in muscle tone;
emotionally charged and action-packed dreams;
complete immobility of a person.

How long does REM sleep last? In total, shallow sleep makes up 20-25% of the average night's rest time, i.e. one and a half to two hours. One such phase lasts only 10-20 minutes. The most vivid and memorable dreams come during the REM sleep stage. If a person is awakened during this period, he will fully tell what he dreamed.

Baby is sleeping

Why are sleep phases needed?

A person’s well-being is inextricably linked with rest and sleep. No wonder. In the first months of life, a little person has a strong connection with nature and obeys its laws. As adults, we make decisions about how much sleep we need. Often untrue, so the mental is disturbed, emotional condition person - that is why it is important to know the frequency of fast and deep stages in night sleep and be able to calculate the stages of sleep for the time of awakening.

Scientists calculated sleep phases and after a series of studies came to the conclusion that 4–5 cycles pass per night. During this period, the person is restored. During slow-wave sleep, energy expended during the day is replenished. REM sleep is short in the first cycles, then lengthens. During the fifth phase, a person processes information and builds psychological protection, adapts to the environment. Knowing how to calculate the sleep cycle, it is possible to learn how to regulate the body’s energy capacity and its vital functions as a whole.

Studies done on rats have shown that Lack of REM sleep leads to death. The rodents were deliberately awakened, preventing the rats from entering the fifth stage. Over time, the animals lost the ability to fall asleep, after which they died. If the sleeper is deprived of the fast phase, the person will become emotionally unstable, prone to irritation, mood swings, and tearfulness.

Girl sleeping with hand on alarm clock

How to calculate sleep phases to know when is the best time to wake up?

Let's take as a basis that one cycle lasts for 90 minutes. Long REM sleep is required for proper rest. Therefore, at least 4 cycles should pass overnight. Waking up during slow-wave sleep makes a person groggy and lethargic. So, we need to calculate how to wake up during REM sleep: the fifth phase is characterized active work brain, so awakening occurs softly and painlessly.

Let's summarize. To feel cheerful in the morning, the duration of sleep and awakening after the completion of the fifth phase are important. For an adult, the ideal sleep time is 7.5–8 hours. The best option- This self-awakening, no alarm or phone signal.

If during the day you feel weak and want to take a nap, then allow this luxury. To avoid harm, record your rest time. If you have slept enough time at night, close your eyes for 15–20 minutes. This is how long the first stage of slow-wave sleep lasts. You will not have time to fall asleep, but you will feel that fatigue has been relieved. If night sleep was short-lived, then go through one cycle during the day. Sleep for 1–1.5 hours.

Conclusion

The data given is approximate, but the essence is clear. For normal life human body phase sleep is necessary. It is important to wake up after completing 4–5 cycles. It’s ideal when you wake up on your own. Daytime nap It won’t do any harm if you prevent the second phase from entering or if you go through one full cycle.

January 20, 2014, 11:36

A sleep-deprived person often faces problems feeling unwell, lack of strength. It loses efficiency, and the functionality of all body systems deteriorates. Night rest - physiologically difficult process. It consists of 5 constantly changing slow and fast phases. At this time, a person has time not only to relax, but also to rethink the information accumulated during the day. It is important for everyone to know what slow-wave sleep is, since it is what allows you to fully restore strength.

The first experiments to study night rest as a physiological process involved interrupting it at a certain time. After this, the subject’s sensations were recorded. They made it possible to establish that night rest consists of phases that change sequentially. The first scientist to study sleep was A.A. Manaseina. She determined that sleep at night is more important for a person than food.

In the 19th century, the scientist Kelschutter found that sleep is stronger and deeper in the first hours after falling asleep. Closer to the morning it becomes superficial. Maximum informative research began to be used after they began to use an electroencephalogram, which records electrical waves emitted by the brain.

Distinctive features of slow-wave sleep

The slow phase takes up about 85% of the total sleep volume. It differs from the fast rest stage in the following ways:

Consists of 4 stages.
At the moment of falling asleep, the movements of the eyeballs are smooth. At the end of the stage they freeze.
Dreams at this stage do not have a vivid plot. For some people they may be completely absent.
Disruption of the slow-wave sleep phase is accompanied by a person's irritability; he gets up tired and cannot get enough sleep. His performance declines and his health deteriorates. This happens due to the fact that not all neurochemical processes are completed.
Breathing and pulse become slow, a decrease occurs blood pressure, body temperature.
At this stage, complete muscle relaxation occurs.

Advice! As for REM sleep, a person wakes up at this stage without consequences for the body. Everyone is being activated life processes: increased heart rate, breathing. This rest phase is shorter.

The value of deep sleep

In order for a person to get enough sleep, he must rest properly. During slow sleep, growth hormone is synthesized and cells are intensively restored. The body is able to relax well, renew energy reserve. At this stage, the rhythms of all brain structures are regulated.

An adult has the opportunity to restore his immune system. If you sleep correctly, sufficient quantity time, the metabolism and removal of toxins from body tissues improves. In the slow-wave sleep phase, active processing of information received during the day occurs, consolidation of the learned material.

Elements constituting the Orthodox phase

The slow-wave sleep stage consists of several elements, which can be read about in the table:

Item name	Characteristic
Nap	During this time period, the ideas that appeared during the day are reviewed and finalized. The brain tries to find a solution to accumulated problems. There is a decrease in heart rate and breathing
Sleep spindles	Here consciousness turns off, but these periods alternate with an increase in visual and auditory sensitivity. At this time, a person can be easily woken up. At this stage there is a decrease in body temperature
Delta sleep	This phase is considered transitional to the deepest sleep.
Deep delta sleep	During this period, a person may have dreams and his energy levels decrease. When it is necessary to awaken, this process is a severe stress for the body. Deep sleep occurs an hour and a half after the start of the first phase

These stages have a certain percentage:

Napping: 12.1%.
Sleep spindles: 38.1%.
Delta sleep: 14.2%.
Deep delta sleep: 23.5%.

REM sleep takes up 23.5% of the total time.

Duration of the slow stage per night

Many users want to know how long slow-wave sleep should last per night to prevent sleep deprivation. This cycle begins immediately after the sleeper enters an unconscious state. Next comes the deep phase. Sensory perception is switched off and cognitive processes are dulled. Normally, the nap period can last 15 minutes. The last three stages take about an hour. The total duration of the slow phase (excluding alternation with REM sleep) is 5 hours.

The length of this period is affected by age. In a child, this phase lasts 20 minutes, in adults under 30 years old – 2 hours. Further, it decreases: from 55-60 years - 85 minutes, after 60 years - 80. Healthy rest should take at least 6-8 hours a day.

It should be noted that the amount of sleep per night is different for each person. Some people can sleep quickly and 4-5 hours will be enough for them, while for others 8-9 hours will not be enough. Here you need to pay attention to your feelings.

It is important to know! Determining the exact time required for a night's rest is done by trial. This will take 1-2 weeks. But we must not allow constant disruption of the slow phase.

The human condition during deep sleep

At night deep stage will be accompanied by complete relaxation muscular system, brain. The conductivity of nerve impulses changes, sensory perception is dulled. Metabolic processes and the functioning of the stomach and intestines slow down.

During this period, the brain requires less oxygen, blood flow becomes less active. Proper night's rest will be characterized by slowing down the aging process of tissues.

Reducing the slow phase: what is the danger

Depending on how long it lasts slow phase sleep, the person will have good health and performance. Its reduction is fraught with the emergence serious problems with health: clarity of consciousness is lost, appears constant drowsiness. Regular disruption of the normal duration and structure of sleep leads to chronic insomnia. A person has the following problems:

increased fatigue;
immunity decreases;
irritability increases, mood often changes;
are violated metabolic processes, mental functions and attention are dulled;
work becomes problematic endocrine system;
the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases increases;
performance and endurance decrease;
Insulin synthesis fails.

Attention! Decreased sleep leads to the development of atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, oncological pathologies. Comparative analysis showed that the slow and fast phases of night rest are equally important, although their characteristics will differ.

Regardless of whether a man or woman has a disturbed sleep structure, or how much a person sleeps, if he does it incorrectly, then rest will not give the desired result. To improve its quality, you need to follow the following recommendations from experts:

Stick to a bedtime schedule. It is better to go to bed no later than 11 pm. At the same time, it is advisable to wake up no earlier than 7 am (this indicator varies from person to person).
Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room. The temperature in the bedroom should not exceed 22 degrees. To improve your sleep quality, you can take an evening walk fresh air.
A few hours before rest, you should not eat food that requires a long digestion time. IN as a last resort, you can drink a glass of warm milk.
Night rest should include the period after midnight to 5 am.
Drinking coffee, strong tea or alcohol in the evening is strictly prohibited.
If a person has difficulty falling asleep, then he can drink tea using soothing herbs (motherwort, valerian), take a relaxing bath with sea salt. Aromatherapy often helps you fall asleep.
It is important to choose a comfortable resting position.
Preference should be given to orthopedic devices for rest. The mattress should be flat and hard. Do not use a high headboard.
The room should be quiet and dark at night.
After waking up it is better to take cold and hot shower or do light exercises.

A proper night's rest, respecting its structure, is the key good health And wellness. A person wakes up rested, productive, in in a great mood. Systematic lack of sleep will lead to serious violations functionality of the body that is not easy to get rid of.

Contents of the article

A third of human life is spent sleeping. This is a complex and necessary process for health. Deprivation of night rest for just 3 days can lead to disruption of many functions - loss of appetite, apathy. Recover at night physical strength, immunity is strengthened, brain activity changes, daily information is taken into account. To perform all these functions, a person goes through phases of rapid and slow sleep during the night.

Physiology of sleep

During the night, the phases of slow and fast sleep alternate more than once. First comes the slow one, then comes the fast one. Each has its own goals. During slow organism resting. When the fast phase begins, the body prepares to wake up, the heart begins to work actively, blood pressure increases, dreams vivid dreams.

The phases of slow and fast sleep are contained in a single cycle. It lasts from one and a half to two hours. For the whole night physiological standards 4 to 6 cycles should occur, then the person will wake up with the feeling that he has slept, rested, and gained strength.

In each subsequent cycle, the duration of the slow phase is shorter, and the duration of the fast phase is longer. In order for the full restoration of all systems to go well, you need to complete the cycles before 4 a.m. (for this you need to go to bed at about 10 p.m. the previous day). After this, the person will continue to sleep, but without the slow phase, because recovery processes have already passed. It is better to wake up after the fast phase, as all systems are activated and ready to start working.

Although during the slow stage the speed of many physiological processes, but at the same time protein synthesis is accelerated and hormones are produced. Sweating increases, blood supply to the brain increases, hair and nail plates continue to grow. During the slow phase, tissue and organ restoration actively occurs.

The fast phase is also necessary for the body. It allows a person to experience the emotions of those events that happened in life. This makes it possible for a person not to change over time, to remain emotionally stable, and to adapt to a changing world. For newborn children, the fast phase helps the rapid development of the brain and strengthens it with special impulses. This lasts until the age of two, then personality formation occurs.

Numerous examinations help to understand what slow and fast sleep is, the most common of which are tomography, electroencephalography, ultrasound studies, and others. modern techniques studying.

Alternation of stages

During NREM and REM sleep, the following are performed: different functions. Throughout the entire cycle, there are five stages with their own physiological characteristics:

Stage 1 – takes 4-5% of the time, light sleep, the process of basic actions in the body slows down, blood pressure decreases;
Stage 2 – 45-55%, there is a decrease in body temperature, slowing of breathing, decreased heart rate;
Stage 3 – from 4 to 6% of the time, the beginning of deep, sound sleep;
Stage 4 – 12 – 15%, rhythmic, unhurried breathing is observed;
Stage 5 – 20 – 25% of the time, a person dreams peaceful dreams, the brain relaxes, the heartbeat quickens.

It takes from 15 to 40 minutes to fall asleep. If this takes 1 hour, then this is a sign of insomnia, which means it is necessary to take measures to eliminate it. The first cycle, that is, alternating slow and fast sleep, takes 1 hour, then the slow phase of another cycle begins again. Each time the sleep will be deeper. In the ratio of fast and slow sleep, the latter remains up to 80% of the total night time.

After passing through all the cycles, awakening occurs. It usually takes up to 3 minutes. During this time, consciousness is connected.

The alternation of stages does not change in healthy person. The following factors can disrupt the sequence:

emotional instability;
age-related changes;
prolonged stress, depression;
mental disorders;
long-term chronic diseases;
injuries.

These disorders require treatment, as they can lead to complications. Deficiency of night rest or certain stages leads to the appearance of serious diseases.

The main differences between NREM and REM sleep

When comparing, it is difficult to answer which sleep is better - fast or slow sleep. Each phase performs its own function and is therefore needed by the body. The comparison is presented in the table, where slow and fast sleep are analyzed according to individual parameters.

Sleep characteristics	Slow	Fast
Vegetative system	There is a rapid, enhanced synthesis of hormones produced by the pituitary gland of the brain. Active growth of nails, eyelashes, hair, bones.	The heartbeat quickens, breathing becomes deeper and more active, and the pupils move faster.
Dreams	I rarely have dreams. But if this happens, then the dreams are characterized by calm content without temperamental turns.	Dreams with vivid storylines, intense experiences, strong emotions and color effects.
Subtleties of breathing	It can be rare, superficial, deep, there may be no rhythm, which occurs in the delta stage.	Uneven, sometimes delayed, frequent. This is how the reaction to dreams manifests itself.
Awakening	Upon waking up, a person feels tired and depressed. The sprinkling process will be difficult. This is the result of incomplete processes in the slow phase of sleep.	He wakes up easily, on his own. You feel freshness, vivacity, energy.
Brain temperature	Decreases.	Increased due to the influx of plasma and enhanced metabolic processes.
Eye movement	Smooth, leisurely, lasting until the end of this phase.	There is continuous, chaotic movement.

The stages of REM and NREM sleep differ from each other, but are mutually dependent and in harmony. They are equal in importance and take part in the single action of rest and restoration.

Main stages of slow-wave sleep

When falling asleep, a person finds himself immersed in a slow phase. It received this name because of the leisurely movement of the pupils at this stage. In this phase everyone calms down natural processes in body. Blood pressure decreases, the brain begins to rest, relaxes, and the heartbeat becomes less frequent.

The night's rest cycle consists of four stages slow-wave sleep and two stages of fast sleep. With the onset of night, slow-wave sleep has an advantage; towards the end of the rest, the share of fast sleep increases.

Wakefulness - slow sleep(stages 1 and 2) - Delta sleep (stages 3 and 4) - REM sleep

In slow-wave sleep there are stages of drowsiness, then there are “sleep spindles”, then delta sleep follows. Real deep sleep will be observed during the deep delta sleep stage. These stages differ from each other in physiological parameters and actions occurring in the body.

When falling asleep, physiological categories change. The heartbeat decreases, blood pressure decreases, and blood moves more slowly through the vessels. Upon reaching last stage the heartbeat becomes faster, the pressure begins to rise. At the same time, the body prepares to move on to the next fast phase. During the slow-wave sleep stage, the events of the past day are replayed in the memory, so a special rhythm of breathing and twitching of the limbs is possible.

During deep sleep, damaged cells are restored, which is why this stage is so important for maintaining youth and healing.

For an adult, the norm for slow-wave sleep is 118 minutes per night.

IN difficult situations The body independently prolongs this stage. So a person who adheres to a strict diet will feel weak and begin to sleep a lot. This body requires more time to recover. This happens in diseases thyroid gland, among professional athletes, people engaged in heavy physical labor.

The norm of deep sleep in adults should not be disturbed. If you don't get enough sleep, it will be difficult to compensate for the deficit in the slow stage of sleep. The shortage will constantly accumulate and negatively affect well-being and performance. With a prolonged disruption in the sleep schedule, for example, during a night work schedule, disturbances in the endocrine system begin. Growth hormone stops being produced, which means that a person’s fat layer on the stomach. Tissues cease to renew themselves steadily, new pathologies develop, and chronic diseases worsen.

Nap

The first stage is the slow phase, lasts up to 10 minutes. In this case, slow movements of the pupils under closed eyelids are noted. The body is in a soft, sleepy state, in which the physiological indicators of pulse, respiration, and pressure decrease. But it’s still easy to wake a person up. The brain is not resting yet, but is actively working. In this state, you can find answers to unsolvable problems. One has only to remember about them. In the morning it will not be possible to restore the chain of decisions, but the conclusion will remain in memory. If you constantly wake a person up during the slow phase, he will gradually become irritable and nervous.

Sleepy spindles

This stage lasts up to 20 minutes. It got its name from the characteristic pattern on the EEG graph. The heart rate slows down, muscle activity decreases, and the reaction to external stimuli remains. A person can wake up from a small, extraneous noise. For example, the cry of a small child will be heard by the mother. Regular awakenings at the sleep spindle stage lead to scattered attention.

Delta

The stage lasts from 10 to 15 minutes. There is a gradual decrease blood pressure, blackout, shallow, slow breathing. Most people don't dream, but people with depression may have nightmares. Data is transferred from short-term to long-term memory. At constant lack of sleep There is an increase in errors in mathematical calculations, a decrease in memory, reaction and speed of thinking.

Deep delta sleep

This stage lasts from 25 to 40 minutes. Represents real sound deep sleep. There is no reaction to odors or other external stimuli. At this time, it is difficult to wake up a person; you need to shake him by the shoulders and loudly call him by name. During sleep, metabolism is restored and renewed at the cellular level. There are calm dreams, manifestations of sleepwalking and sleep talking are possible in people prone to such pathologies.

According to scientists, the less delta sleep, the faster the body aging. To increase the duration of this stage, you must follow the following rules:

before leaving for the night's rest, do hiking or perform simple physical exercises;
correctly alternate work and rest;
do not overeat in the evening, do not drink alcohol, caffeinated drinks, or energy drinks;
sleep in a ventilated room, preferably in darkness and silence.

By increasing the deep phase of delta sleep, it will be possible to fully restore cells. This will have a positive effect on your appearance. First of all, this will affect the condition skin. Good dream affects the smoothing of wrinkles, a healthy skin tone is acquired, and puffiness under the eyes goes away.

Fast cycle its features

Dreams that occur during the fast phase are remembered very well

During REM sleep, unusual actions begin; it is no coincidence that it is called the paradoxical cycle. Scientists do not fully understand the significance of this night phase cycle for humans. If during the slow stage there is active recovery, then in the fast phase other processes take place.

The pupils move chaotically under closed eyelids, as if they are watching some events. All indicators of a person (muscle tone, brain activity, blood pressure, heartbeat) indicate that he is awake, only his consciousness is turned off. A person often participates in his dreams. When he is woken up during the rapid phase, he remembers small details and talks about everything in detail and with emotion.

During this period, hormonal changes occur. The functioning of the organs of the endocrine system is adjusted. In the fast phase, the genital area is adjusted. During this stage, nocturnal erections, wet dreams, and orgasms occur, even in the absence of erotic dreams. Often heart attacks and strokes also occur at this time. A relaxed heart and blood vessels receive a huge load and cannot cope with it.

2 cycles included in the fast stage:

unemotional;
emotional.

They change each other throughout the night. The emotional cycle is always longer. IN fast period daily information and data are being processed, the brain adapts to the changing situation. People who do not have the opportunity to get a good night's sleep during this phase lose the ability to restore mental protection. Over time, they become irritable, whiny, absent-minded, and develop nervous disorders.

Features of awakening in each phase of sleep

Vigor and ability to work in the first half of the working day depend on the person’s awakening. If this happened from external irritating phenomena (a sharp ringing of an alarm clock, a scream, a jolt, a bright flash of light), then a certain time is needed to put the body in order. Some people do not even realize after such an awakening where they are, what they need to do. It is difficult for people with chronic low blood pressure. They are forced to accept medicines after such a morning rise.

When you wake up on your own in the fast phase, you have a chance to feel cheerful and fresh even early in the morning. The body is ready to work, all that remains is to turn on the consciousness. A person remembers his dreams and can retell them in detail.

It is important to consider the subtleties of awakening in different phases so as not to feel overwhelmed and unable to work. A good invention for taking into account the stages of sleep is “”. They are able to read the body’s readings, determine the necessary phases of REM sleep, and send a signal to wake up at exactly this time. The disadvantage of this device is the likelihood of hearing the call ahead of schedule. The alarm clock performs its functions ahead of schedule.

Smart alarm clock will help you wake up on time

We have invented a special calculator that helps calculate the phases of a person’s night rest by defining algorithms. You just need to enter your bedtime time, the program will perform the full calculation. A time will be determined when you need to get up in order to feel freshness, strength and vigor.

It is better to calculate the time of awakening through experiment. Determine the time of the fast phase, wake up and determine whether it is easy to get up, whether there is cheerfulness and activity. If you liked the sensations, then you should try to maintain this regime, it is optimal for this age and type of activity. The slow stage takes about 120 minutes, the fast stage lasts 20 minutes. After falling asleep, 4 cycles must pass to complete recovery and final awakening. If you go to bed at 22 o'clock, then 4 cycles will pass from 4:40 to 5:00. If it is too early to get up, then the next cycle will end from 7:00 to 7:20.

The time you fall asleep matters. The optimal time interval is from 19 to 20 hours. Our ancestors went to bed around this time, with the end of daylight. With the invention of electricity, life changed. People began to go on vacation much later. This has increased the number of neurological diseases, chronic fatigue, depression, oncology.

The best time to wake up will be the first or second stage after the end of the fast phase. It is important to wake up and get up and not doze off a little more. In this case it will begin new cycle, will go again slow stage, during which it is difficult to wake up, there will be no former vigor. REM sleep is different from slow sleep, but it is better to wake up on your own when the body is ready for it.

You can go out onto the balcony with coffee - it will wake you up / Photo nickned.livejournal.com

In order not to fall asleep again after waking up, you can have a snack to finally restore consciousness. It is useful to go for a walk or to the balcony. The morning air will invigorate you, you will have strength and vigor for a new day. After 3-4 days of such a rise, the body will get used to getting up without getting enough sleep, which only spoils the morning awakening.

To maintain good health, good appearance Need REM and NREM sleep. They have a mutual influence on the human body. One should not intrude unnecessarily into the well-established structure of nightly recovery. On the part of a person, it is required to maintain proper night sleep, avoid frequent lack of sleep, interruption of sleep in in the wrong place. Following the rules for night rest will help you maintain your health for a long time.

The phases of human sleep are divided into two types - slow and fast. Their duration is uneven. After falling asleep, the slow phase lasts longer. Before waking up, REM sleep becomes longer.

In this case, the phases alternate, forming wave-like cycles. They last just over an hour and a half. Calculating the phases by the hour will not only make it easy to wake up in the morning and improve the quality of your night's rest, but will also help normalize the functioning of the entire body.

About sleep phases

Sleep is a state in which all organs, especially the brain, work in an unusual mode. At the same time, a person’s consciousness turns off and the restoration of all cells of the body begins. Thanks to a good, full night's rest, toxins are removed from the body, memory is strengthened and the psyche is unloaded.

In order to feel good during the day, your sleep rate should be about eight hours a day. However, this amount may vary depending on the individual characteristics of the human body.

For some, six hours is enough, for others, nine hours is not enough to fully relax and get enough sleep. This difference depends on the lifestyle and age of the person. Night rest is heterogeneous and is divided into two phases - REM and deep sleep.

Slow phase

NREM sleep is also called deep (orthodox) sleep. Immersion in it begins at the beginning of the night's rest. This phase is divided into several stages:

Nap. Usually lasts from five to ten minutes. During this period, the brain is still working, so you can dream. Often there are dreams that are confused with reality, and a person may even find answers to problems that were unresolved during the day.
Falling asleep or sleep spindles. Takes approximately twenty minutes. At this stage, consciousness gradually turns off, but the brain reacts quite sensitively to all stimuli. At such a moment, any noise can wake you up.
Deep dream. This is the time when the body of a healthy person almost ceases to function, and the body relaxes. However, weak impulses still pass through the brain, and sleep spindles are still preserved.

Then comes delta sleep - this is the deepest period. The body relaxes completely and the brain does not react to stimuli. Respiration rate and blood circulation decrease. But the closer to morning, the more the duration of the delta sleep phase decreases.

Interesting ! When falling asleep and waking up, a condition such as sleep paralysis. This condition is characterized by full understanding of what is happening, but the inability to move or say anything. Some people try on purpose.

Fast phase (REM phase)

REM sleep after falling asleep lasts about five minutes. However, with each new cycle, the duration of deep sleep becomes shorter, and the duration of fast sleep increases in time. This phase is already about an hour in the morning. It is during this time period that a person is “easy” to get out of bed.

The fast phase is divided into an emotional period and a non-emotional one. In the first period of time, dreams become pronounced and dynamic.

Phase sequence

The sequence of sleep stages is the same for most adults. This statement is valid for healthy people. REM sleep passes quickly after falling asleep. This phase follows the four stages of deep sleep. Then follows one turn, which is designated as 4+1. At this time, the brain works intensively, the eyes dart around, and the body is “tuned” to wake up. The phases alternate; there can be up to six of them during the night.

However, age or problems associated with sleep disturbances may change the picture. For example, in young children, more than 50% is the REM phase. Only at the age of 5 years the sequence and duration of the stages become the same as in adults.

In old age, the REM sleep phase is reduced, and delta sleep may disappear altogether. This is how age-related insomnia manifests itself. Some people have head injuries or don't sleep at all. Often they are just dozing. Some people wake up many times during the night, and in the morning they think that they haven’t slept at all. The reasons for this manifestation may be different.

In people with narcolepsy or sleep apnea, nighttime rest is atypical. They get it right away fast stage, they fall asleep in any position and place. Apnea is a sudden stop in breathing during sleep, which is restored after a short period of time.

At the same time, due to a decrease in the amount of oxygen, hormones are released into the blood, which causes the sleeping person to wake up. These attacks can be repeated many times, rest becomes short. Because of this, a person also does not get enough sleep; he is haunted by a sleepy state.

The value of a night's rest by the hour

A person can get enough sleep in one hour or throughout the night. The value of rest depends on the time you go to bed. The following table indicates sleep efficiency:

Time	Value
From 19:00 to 20:00	7 o'clock
From 20:00 to 21:00	6 hours
From 21:00 to 22:00	5 o'clock
From 22:00 to 23:00	4 hours
From 23:00 to 00:00	3 hours
From 00:00 to 01:00	2 hours
From 01:00 to 02:00	1 hour
From 02:00 to 03:00	30 minutes
From 03:00 to 04:00	15 minutes
From 04:00 to 05:00	7 minutes
From 05:00 to 06:00	1 minute

Previously, people went to bed and got up only according to the sun. At the same time, we got a full night's sleep. IN modern world Few people get ready for bed before midnight, which is why fatigue, neuroses and hypertension appear. Lack of sleep is a frequent companion in our lives.

Required duration of rest by age

To rest, a person needs different time, and it depends on age. This data is summarized in the table:

Elderly people often experience certain ailments. Because of them and physical inactivity, they often sleep only five hours. At the same time, in the womb of the mother, the unborn child remains in a state of rest for 17 hours.

How to determine the optimal time to wake up and why calculate sleep phases

Exist special devices, which record brain activity. However, in their absence, you can calculate the phase times yourself. NREM sleep takes much longer than REM sleep. If you know how long all the stages are, you can calculate at what stage the brain will work in the morning when a person wakes up.

It is very important to get up during the REM stage of sleep, when we are light sleepers. Then the day will pass joyfully and cheerfully. This explanation is the answer to the question in which phase of sleep a person should wake up.

You can determine this stage yourself only by experiment. You need to approximately calculate the time of REM sleep. Wake up at this time and understand whether it was easy to open your eyes and get up. If yes, then in the future try to wake up at this time. This way you can determine how long a particular person should rest at night.

Important! When conducting the experiment, you should not forget about the time of going to bed. It is of no small importance.

There is a special calculator that determines the online phases of a person’s sleep by time. It is capable of calculating all stages using algorithms. This calculator is quite easy to use. You just need to indicate the hour when the person goes to bed. The program will perform a calculation and show the result at what time people will wake up well rested, that is, how many hours are needed for rest.

Rules for a healthy night's rest

There are several effective rules that will ensure a strong healthy holiday at night and will allow you to achieve high performance and good health. They are also the answer to a frequently asked question about how to improve sleep quality:

It is advisable to stick to a routine, always fall asleep and get up at the same time.
Sleep should always take place between 00:00 and 05:00. It is during this period that the most melatonin, the sleep hormone, is produced.
You cannot have dinner later than three hours before your night's rest. If you want to eat during the specified interval, it is better to drink a little milk.
An evening walk in the fresh air will not only help you fall asleep faster, but will also make your rest complete.
Before going to bed, you can take a bath with herbs (chamomile, lemon balm or motherwort). It will help you calm down and fall asleep faster.
It is necessary to ventilate the room before going to bed.
The recommended sleeping position is on your back or right side; it is not advisable to sleep on your stomach.

By following these recommendations, your sleep quality improves. You also need to do exercises every morning. Run - the best remedy for a cheerful day. However, there is no need to engage in charging “through I can’t.” This leads to overvoltage. It is better then to go in for sports in the afternoon or evening.

All people are different. So, one person will not wake up if you talk loudly next to him, vacuum cleaner or turn on music, while the second one goes into a state of wakefulness after the floor creaks. Light sleep is a state of a person in which he is able to quickly wake up, becoming very irritated. For many people and their close relatives with whom they live in the same apartment, this phenomenon becomes a real problem.

When he is constantly in one of the stages of sleep. There are two of them: fast and slow. Each phase has its own characteristics, which are shown in the table.

slow sleep	REM sleep
First stage: a state of sleep in which new ideas and interesting thoughts can unconsciously arise in a person's subconscious. He is dozing rather than sleeping. A person remains in this state for 5 to 10 minutes.	REM sleep is the fifth stage of sleep. During this period, the state of a sleeping person is as active as possible. But despite this, he remains in one position because his muscles are paralyzed. A person’s subconscious mind works very well, so he remembers all the dreams he saw during the fourth stage. That is why, if you wake him up during the fast phase, he will tell you all the dreams in vivid and colorful detail. At this stage it is difficult to wake up. If you want to wake up a person who is in a state of REM sleep, it will be difficult for you to do it, much more difficult than if he was in the fourth stage. In addition, during such a period, a sharp transition to a cheerful state can disrupt the psyche. A person needs about 1 hour for REM sleep.
Second stage: a person’s consciousness completely turns off, he plunges into good sleep. But during this phase they worsen auditory analyzers. Therefore, during this period, the mother can wake up if Small child moves in bed, and any person opens his eyes when his name is spoken next to him. 20 minutes is the average duration of this phase.
The third stage is the deeper second stage of sleep.
The fourth stage is characterized by the deepest sleep. The person is difficult to wake up, has vivid dreams, or may suffer from sleepwalking. As a rule, he does not remember any of this, moving into a state of wakefulness. The third and fourth stages last approximately 45 minutes.

When a person goes through all these stages, he completes the first cycle. For proper rest, you need to sleep through five such cycles.

Sleep must be consistent. Ideally, a person should go through each of these stages. This is why all doctors in the world insist that the ideal sleep duration is 8 hours. Don't neglect this rule to maintain your mental health. The phases of human sleep by time, the table describing which is presented above, are needed for the most productive state throughout the day. Professional doctors know what to do if a person wakes up from the slightest noise and therefore cannot go through each stage.

Causes of sensitive sleep

Light sleep time can be beneficial for a person, for example, if he wants to take a light nap without falling into a completely unconscious state. But if such a phenomenon occurs constantly, then oh normal functioning all body systems are out of the question. A person sleeps, but does not get enough sleep, does not go through all stages of sleep in order to fully rest.

The reasons for the appearance of shallow sleep are different. You have no cause for concern if one of these factors applies to you:

You recently became a mother. In this case, light sleep is induced by your body at a physiological level so that you can constantly monitor the state in which your newborn baby is.
Hormonal fluctuations occur in your body. This applies to pregnant women and girls during menstruation.
Your work takes place in night shift. In this case, the body adapts to your schedule;
You are experiencing psychological stress. This may be due to both stress at work and waking up at an earlier, unusual time for you.
If you sleep for 10 instead of the required 8 hours and it becomes a habit, your sleep will become longer, but less quality.
If you are over 50 years old, then a light sleeper can become your constant companion.

All these reasons are either natural or easily eliminated, so if one of them concerns you, do not worry, your health is safe. But it happens that the factors that cause short sleep mean that disturbances have occurred in the body. Such reasons include:

Depression and neuroses. Mental problems can disrupt the subconscious's ability to enter the sleep state.
Somatic illnesses need to be treated as they can cause sleep disorders.
Wrong reception pharmaceuticals or alcohol abuse lead to a person who has drunk alcoholic beverages falling asleep quickly, but this sleep is sensitive and superficial.

Such factors must be avoided, so try to prevent such manifestations.

What to do if you are a light sleeper

Almost every person knows what light sleep means for the body. But this concept should not be confused with insomnia. If you create ideal conditions, a person will wake up rested in case of light sleep. If you cannot get enough sleep in complete silence and darkness, then you are dealing with insomnia.

If light sleep has been bothering you for as long as you can remember, you should consult a doctor. If this phenomenon has recently appeared in your life, then you can try to overcome it yourself.

If you want to know how to deal with light sleep, take a look at the list useful tips and recommendations:

Create the most favorable conditions in the room. To do this, turn off the lights, make sure that the room is quiet, and that you are not too cold or hot.
Lay down clean bedding that won't distract you with too much odor.
Before bed, take a relaxing bath or use the services of a massage therapist.
Avoid drinking drinks that contain caffeine.
Try to spend enough time playing sports.
Avoid stress at work and at home.

If such measures do not help you, more serious measures should be taken.

Radical measures in the fight against light sleep

If no methods help you and you wake up due to any extraneous factor, even the most insignificant, try the following methods:

Buy sound generator, which is capable of producing white noise. According to psychologists, this sound can not only help a person fall asleep, but also helps you wake up more rested.
Melatonin is a medicine that is recommended for older people who have trouble sleeping. It promotes deeper, longer and more complete rest.
If the above methods are useless, try consulting a psychotherapist. A professional doctor will quickly determine what the problem is and help eliminate it.

And remember, if you have insomnia, then a visit to a somnologist is mandatory.

Sleep problems in a child

If light sleep concerns small child, it is worth taking measures to ensure that the baby sleeps more deeply. But this is normal for infants, but for older children, insufficient rest is fraught with bad consequences.

Do not teach your baby to sleep in absolute silence so that he does not react too aggressively to extraneous noise. In addition, if you are not opposed to sharing holidays, then go to bed with your child together. Usually babies feel much better with their mothers.

How to deal with short sleep in a child over 2 years old

Children over 2 years of age may also have trouble sleeping. Try the following measures:

Check that your child feels well and does not experience any discomfort while in his bed.
Make sure your child follows a daily routine. If he eats, studies, and plays at the same time, then he will fall asleep faster.
White noise is much more effective on children than adults. Use it, and your child will rest better.

It is important that all these methods are performed in combination, then you will see the result very quickly.

How to become a sensitive sleeper

Not always from the ability to fall asleep a short time people want to get rid of it. Sometimes there is a need quick rest during the day, for example, if there is a lot of work to do, but there is no energy left. During short nap the person is charged with a lot of energy and is ready to work further. Here are the basic rules for such a holiday:

Rest should last from 15 to 26 minutes. After it you will wake up rested.
To master this technique, training is required.
You need to fall asleep at the same time.
You should not use modern gadgets before going to bed.

If you are ready to follow these rules, then you can begin to master the technique. Regular training will lead you to success.

Learning to be a sensitive sleeper

To fall asleep, follow the instructions:

Set your alarm and lie down in a position that is comfortable for you.
Concentrate on calming down and turning off all mental processes.
Your brain will understand that it needs to fall asleep, and it will begin to plunge into unconsciousness.

Don't expect to be pleased with the results the first time. It usually takes at least 10 workouts to fall asleep quickly. But after you develop this habit, you will be able to arrange a quick good rest daily.

What should it be like to wake up after REM sleep?

After a light sleep there should be an awakening like this:

You need to get out of bed immediately after you open your eyes.
After waking up, it is forbidden to fall asleep again.
Have a snack, it will help you wake up completely faster.
If possible, go for a brisk walk.

The first few times you may not be able to achieve such an awakening, but do not be discouraged. Don’t give up training, although they may seem difficult to you, then very soon you will be able to take a good rest at any time, without falling out of your habitual routine for an indefinite period.

Human sleep-wake cycle

Even if a person has slept through all the necessary phases, he may feel tired. associated not only with our health, but also with biological factors environment. Body temperature drops at night, which is why we need to rest. If you slept well during the day, then when working on the night shift, your performance will still drop, because temperature regime Will not change.

During the experiment, scientists found that such rhythms always operate, even if a person is deprived of the opportunity to observe the change of day and night. Therefore, try to get enough sleep at night so that during the day your productivity increases to its maximum level. If you cannot do this due to your work schedule, then try to master the technique of sensitive sleep and use it during the night.