The Five Stages Of Sleep
When we fall asleep, the majority of us think that the body completely slows down, resting and recuperating in readiness for the day ahead – Now while in 
part that is true, the actual pattern of sleeping is anything but calm and restful
As we drift into sleep our body’s go through as many as five differing stages, sometimes several times, and each one can be surprisingly active.
As we go through these various stages, our brain activity and body temperature will change as our body refreshes and rejuvenates our cells, muscles and the brain in readiness for the following day.
These stages are known collectively as Sleep Architecture and work best over an 8 hour sleep cycle.
- Stage One – Our Brain produces very slow brain waves known as Theta Waves, this is the midway period, we are neither awake or asleep, and if disturbed during this period, we would see no benefit whatsoever.
- Stage Two – This stage lasts for about 20 minutes, the brain produces brain waves called Sleep Spindles – slow rhythmic waves that help to slow our heart rate and reduce our temperature
- Stage Three – This is where our body drifts into a deeper sleep, the brain waves change again into a lower frequency Delta Wave which slows our breathing and heart rate down to their minimum rate
- Stage Four – Know as Delta Sleep – lasting around 30 minutes, this is where our muscles relax and our blood pressure drops, this stage is thought to be the most effective stage when our cells, muscles and brain are all refreshed and restored.
- Stage Five – The most active part of our sleep cycle and usually the longest stage – called REM sleep this is the period when we have the most brain activity, most dreams occur during this stage.
It is during the REM sleep that our brain replenished the body’s natural levels of serotonin and dopamine – both essential for our moods and brain function the following day.
These stages do not necessary follow this order and can repeat themselves several times during the night.
With a regular sleep pattern requiring all these stages to be as restful and as beneficial as possible, its little wonder that if our sleep is disturbed the effects can be really detrimental with problems such as anxiety, stress and memory loss all very real possibilities.
It’s important that we try and get the full amount of sleep to maintain our optimum health, both physically and mentally, a prolonged lack of sleep can lead to a hard to break habit that needs help to reverse.
Help With Sleeping
If you are suffering from sleeplessness, it’s crucial to try and stop the problem, in mild to medium cases, great benefits can be gained from taking a natural sleep aid, unlike prescription sleeping pills, these natural products can help 
produce good restful sleep without the risks associated with drug based remedies.
Available across Canada is Alteril, made in the USA, it is a 100% natural sleep aid that is clinically proven to break the habit of sleeplessness and help generate good restful sleep patterns without the risk of drowsiness or dependency.
Available without prescription, Alteril has been the saviour for millions of insomniacs worldwide.
