What happens to the body after a full night's sleep? Check out the details here!

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Dec 02, 2015 05:40 AM EST

Ever wondered why and how sleeping is good for you? Check out what happens when you get a good night's sleep here.

Sleep plays a huge role in keeping our body holistically healthy. Good quality sleep no matter the age is critical in supporting a healthy brain function, develop or maintain physical health, improve emotional well-being and helps with being productive throughout the day, according to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). There are five sleep stages during a full night's sleep and each phase plays an important role in our bodies.

The sleep process begins with falling asleep then on to stages 1,2,3,4 and REM (rapid eye movement) and back again. A complete sleep cycle takes 90 to 110 minutes to complete.


Stage 1

It begins with a light sleep where one can be disturbed and come to easily. The brain prepares the body for sleep by shutting down slowly, according to an article posted in Digg.

Stage 2

During this phase, the body goes into a deeper sleep where one is more disengaged with their surroundings. The heart rate slows down as does body temperature. According to Health Boosters, this stage occurs only for about 20 minutes.

Stage 3 & 4

Very slow brain waves called delta waves occur during this stage. The slow-wave sleep (SWS) takes long as it takes 15 to 20 percent of total sleep time in adults, according to How Sleep Works. This is considered to be the most important part of sleep as the body is healing and restoring itself after the day's events.

According to Sleep Foundation, this is the phase where our energy is replenished and our tissue repairs and grows itself as hormones are released. A great example would be the growth hormone in children; this is the phase here growth and muscle development occurs.

REM (Rapid Eye Movement)

REM sleep stages during the first half of the night are shorter and occur 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep, according to Sleep Association Org. However, in the second half of the night REM sleep is longer and deep sleep phases decrease. Most people spend most of their sleep time in stage 1, 2 and REM.

As the name implies, the eyes move rapidly during this phase. Dreaming is very common at this stage as well as episodes of parasomnias including bedwetting, sleepwalking, sleep talking and night terrors.

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