Supplements the debate/discussion thread

Freefaller said:
Rapid Eye Movement - it's a phase of sleep. Your sleep happens in cycles. Deep light deep light deep light etc... REM initiates in deep sleep - that's when most of the CNS recovery and repair functions of sleep occur. The vivid dreams are in a light phase of sleep after a bout of REM sleep.
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I thought REM was in the lighter stages of sleep when your mind was recovering then deep sleep was later where your body is recovering.
 
Hedge said:
I thought REM was in the lighter stages of sleep when your mind was recovering then deep sleep was later where your body is recovering.
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No you go into lighter sleep from REM.... however, I haven't got my geeky science books with me, so I may be confusing myself - I will admit that sleep cycles aren't my forte (none of this is, other than being an enthusiast and a bit of a nerd :p)

Begbie said:
It seems like something that can't be controlled? Not that I would ever worry about getting the correct amount of sleep cycles.
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Indeed.
 
Dream Sleep: REM Sleep, Rapid Eye Movement

REM sleep is when we do most active dreaming. Our eyes move back and forth quickly, giving this stage of the sleep cycle the name REM sleep. REM sleep is also referred to as dream sleep. Research has shown that REM sleep functions to reinforce what we have experienced and learned the day before.

We enter into REM sleep around 70 to 90 minutes into our sleep cycle. Generally, we have three to five REM cycles each night. Our brain becomes active, heart rate and breathing become irregular and the blood pressure also rises.

Dream sleep is important to our minds for consolidating and processing memories and emotions. Most of the dreaming occurs during this time, though researchers believe a small percentage of dreaming could happen during the other stages as well.

During dream sleep, some of the ability to regulate body temperature is lost, therefore, extremely hot or cold temperatures in the environment can interrupt sleep. If our REM sleep is interrupted one night, our body tries to catch up and make up for the REM sleep lost the previous night by increasing the length of the REM sleep cycle the next night.

NREM Sleep, Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

NREM is made up of four different stages of sleep. Stage 1 and 2 are called light sleep. Stages 3 and 4 are called slow wave sleep.

Light Sleep: Stages 1&2 – During stage 1 of sleep, we drift in and out of sleep. It lasts for around a few minutes, and we are awakened easily during this stage. Muscle activity slows down during this stage, and our eyes move slowly. Those who are awakened at this stage of sleep often recall fragmented visual images. In stage 2, heart rate slows, eye movements stop and body temperature drops.

Slow Wave Sleep: Stages 3 & 4 – The first stage of slow sleep typically lasts two hours. Breathing slows down, and we regain energy. Hormones are released to rejuvenate our bodies. There is a decrease in blood flow to the brain, which is redirected towards restoring physical energy. The immune system is activated to fight disease and restore health.

It is difficult to awaken anyone during this stage of sleep, and if awakened, people feel rather disoriented for a few minutes. Research has shown that if the amount of sleep we are getting is reduced, the unconscious mind prioritizes slow wave sleep the next time we fall asleep.
 
mrthingyx said:
Yeah... last night I both Olympic lifting records at a lean bodyweight of 95kgs.

I then work up. :(

REM is the crusher of dreams.
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My dreams always seem to involve women and fighting... but not fighting women. :confused:

actually last night i had a dream that the PT in our gym pinched the pin out of the cable stack i was using!
 
For those trying to get more deep sleep, try polyphasic or biphasic sleep for a while. If your schedule permits it, it can train you to cut out the more or less useless couple of hours of sleep that you usually get. I spent most of summer sleeping 1 hours of every 6 and didn't feel tired for it (full on polyphasic is 20 minutes every 4 hours) because napping trains you to fall asleep a lot faster. Friends did it as well.

Not sure about its implications for muscle recovery, but once you get used to it you don't seem to lose that instant deep sleep state, so I still only need about 5-6 hours of sleep a night now even though I've gone back to my old sleeping pattern.
 
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