It might not seem like it, but there’s a lot going on inside your body when you go to bed. Every night, your brain needs to cycle through 4 distinct stages of sleep for you to receive the benefits of a good night’s rest. However, things like sleep apnea can interfere with this! Here’s what you need to know about these different stages of sleep and why uninterrupted sleep is so valuable and essential to your overall health.
The Early Stages: Light Sleep
As you fall asleep, your eye movements gradually become slower, and you enter the first stage of light sleep. In this stage, your body is still alert—certain noises and stimuli can still disturb and wake you up. However, this state usually only lasts a few minutes before you enter the next.
During the second stage of light sleep, your brain will begin to produce special brainwaves called sleep spindles. These waves help to protect you from being woken up early—in this state, you’re still lightly asleep and will remain so for about half of the entire sleep cycle.
The Later Stages: Deep Sleep and REM Sleep
When you finally reach the deep sleep state, it’s more difficult for you to be woken up. This is where the restorative benefits of sleep kick in—your body will begin to repair damaged muscle and tissue while producing protective cytokines (small proteins), which help the immune system and restore the energy level of your cells. Deep sleep is especially important for the development of children and teenagers.
The final stage of the sleep cycle is REM sleep, which stands for rapid eye movement. Underneath your eyelids, your eyes quickly move and twitch in various directions; this signals that your brain is processing and consolidating new information that it learned from the previous day.
This process is crucial for memory retention. Your body can also experience an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as shallow, irregular breathing—but this is perfectly normal and healthy. After REM sleep is complete, your body will start the cycle over and repeat it until you wake up!
Why Uninterrupted Sleep Is Important
If you’re constantly waking up during the night, you’re limiting your body’s time in the deep and REM stages of the sleep cycle. Since these stages are the most important for restoring your body’s energy and maintaining proper brain function, your physical and mental health are in jeopardy if you don’t regularly enter deep and REM sleep.
Conditions like sleep apnea can interfere with the body’s ability to recover every night. Obstructive sleep apnea causes a restriction of airflow in your throat, so your body must partially wake up to restore normal respiration. This means your brain is kicked out of its sleep cycle and doesn’t spend the time it needs in the later stages of the sleep cycle.
If you’re missing out on sleep every night because of sleep apnea, it might be time to see your doctor. Your body needs rest to function properly, and the different stages of sleep make it possible.
About the Practice
Downtown Denver Sleep Solutions has proudly helped patients in the Denver area for several years under the leadership of Dr. Glenn Thompson and Dr. Gary Radz. The practice offers a wide range of services including at-home sleep testing, oral appliance therapy and more! If you or a loved one is suffering from sleep apnea, feel free to schedule an appointment through the practice’s website or by phone: (303) 377-5337.