Monday, November 23, 2015

What is Non-REM sleep?

Our sleep is divided into 2 categories of sleep, REM and Non-REM sleep.

Non-REM sleep has 3 stages:

Stage 1 Drowsy sleep (N1)  is the stage between wakefulness and deep sleep. It lasts about 10 minutes or 5% of overall sleep time. The sleeper may be aware of sounds byt be unwilling to respond to them.

Stage 2(N2) proceeds as awareness of the outside world fades. Breathing and heart rate slow down. This stage takes about 45-50% of overall sleep time.

Stage 3 Slow-wave sleep (N3) occurs in larger periods during the first part of the night. Heart rate, blood pressure, temperature are lowest during Stage 3 with limited muscle activity. Information processing and memory consolidation mostly take place during this stage which covers about 15-20% of sleep time.  

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