Dreaming. We all do it, and whether you find yourself in a dream that has a smile on your face or a nightmare that sends shivers down your spine, dreaming is healthy and allows your brain to deal with the information it’s receiving every day.
Most of the time we won’t remember our dreams unless they wake us up, and if you’re getting the right amount of sleep, and not using alcohol or taking medications or drugs, you’ll be dreaming every night.
There are many different stages of sleep:
One
The first stage of sleep is when you’re having periods of dreaminess and are almost experiencing daydreaming. This is also something that you’ll usually experience during the day, and some people have more of these experiences than others.
For people who often practice meditation or pray, they’re more likely to spend time in this stage, which is known as “Alpha”. It’s not unusual for you to feel like you’re falling or experience really vivid sensations and have twitching or muscle contractions. You may even think someone is calling your name or knocking on the door.
Two
The second stage usually lasts about 20 minutes, and your brain will start producing frequent, rapid, and rhythmic brain wave activity which is also known as Sleep Spindles. Your heart rate slows down and body temperature begins to drop.
Three
Delta Waves (slow, deep brain waves) begin to happen during the third stage, and this is when you’re transitioning between a light sleep and deep sleep.
Four
Some people also refer to this period as Delta Sleep since there are so many delta waves occurring throughout this stage. This is a very deep sleep that usually lasts for around 30 minutes, and the end of this stage is when bed-wetting and sleep walking usually happen.
Five
This stage of sleep is also known as REM, which is when you’ll notice eye movement if you happen to catch someone while they’re in REM sleep. Monitors show increased brain activity and respiration rate, and while your muscles become very relaxed, the brain and some other systems will become more active. This increased brain activity leads to dreaming, and your voluntary muscles (arms and legs) will become paralysed, while your heart, lungs and gut will continue to move as normal.
The dream state is during REM sleep, which usually happens around 90 minutes after we fall asleep. Each cycle of REM sleep lasts longer than the one before, which is why we need to have a nice, long, deep sleep every night. When we only get short periods of sleep, we’re not getting enough to stay healthy.
By now, you’re probably aware that it’s super important for you to get enough sleep every night. One of the most common reasons why some people are having bad sleeps is because of their beds. One solution can be to try adjustable beds, which can allow you to choose the perfect position for you to enjoy all of the stages of sleep and get enough dreaming time in.