The meaning of the sleep phases

Our sleep is comprised of several sleep cycles, during which we go through different sleep phases night after night. Learn here what sleep phases there are and what significance each stage has for a restful night.

Table of contents

1. How does our sleep work?
2. The sleep phases at a glance
3. The importance of sleep cycles
4. Conclusion

1. How does our sleep work?

Our sleep is essential for our energy balance and numerous important recovery, repair, and rebuilding processes in our brain, tissue, and cells. Adequate, restful sleep is therefore one of the most important foundations for healthy bodily function and an efficient, healthy everyday life. Experts generally recommend that adults sleep 7-8 hours a night—and this is not without reason. Every night, our sleep is made up of different sleep cycles, which in turn consist of different sleep stages: the falling asleep phase, light sleep phase, two deep sleep phases, and REM sleep. To feel refreshed in the morning, it is crucial to go through a sufficient number of sleep cycles and give your body time to regenerate. We will give you an overview of the different sleep stages and explain the importance of each phase for restful sleep.

2. Overview of sleep phases

Falling asleep phase

The falling asleep phase refers to the last few minutes before “real” sleep. During this phase, the body switches off, relaxes, and calms down. For adults, the falling asleep phase lasts about 5-20 minutes.

Light sleep phase

During this period of sleep, our muscles relax, our heart rate and breathing become more regular, and our body temperature drops. We spend almost half of our sleep time in this rather superficial sleep, during which we are still quite susceptible to external stimuli such as noise or light. On average, we reach the light sleep phase about 15 minutes after falling asleep.

Deep sleep phase

The light sleep stage is followed by deep sleep. This dominates the first third of the night and causes our body to wind down even further, with heart rate and breathing slowing and blood pressure dropping. In this stage, the so-called "slow wave" Sleep", the frequency of brain waves decreases and nerve activity is significantly reduced. Now the energy stores in our brain are recharged and numerous hormones and neurotransmitters are released that control essential metabolic and regeneration processes.Deep sleep is therefore the central recovery period of our body, in which proteins, cells and tissues are repaired, detoxified and rebuilt, the immune system is trained and energy reserves are renewed. Our brain is also active, as in deep sleep, declarative memory, which is responsible for Learn of facts and memories.

REM sleep phase

Following deep sleep, we enter the dream sleep phases, also known as REM phases. REM stands for "rapid eye movement," because during these sleep periods our brain processes and evaluates the day's experiences, and we move our eyes rapidly back and forth under closed eyelids. For this to work, blood flow to the brain increases, blood pressure rises, and our heart rate and breathing become more irregular.At the same time, we are in the so-called sleep paralysis, in which the brain stem blocks the transmission of commands to our muscles in order to protect us from uncontrolled movements and injuries during lively Dreaming to protect. During REM sleep, important processing and learning processes take place in the brain, and procedural memory, which forms the basis for subconscious abilities such as automated movement sequences and motor learning, is formed.

3. The importance of sleep cycles

We go through several sleep cycles during the night. Each cycle lasts approximately 90 to 110 minutes and consists of a fixed sequence of the five stages of sleep, with the ratio of sleep phases within a sleep cycle changing throughout the night. At the beginning of our sleep, we experience longer phases of deep sleep, as these are urgently needed to restore the energy reserves used up during the day. Towards the end of the night, we spend more time in REM sleep, during which the available energy can be used for important brain functions. The first two sleep cycles, known as core sleep, are therefore particularly important for the recovery of our body and brain, and the most important building processes take place in our cells and nervous system. To wake up feeling completely rested in the morning, it is important to go through around 4 to 7 sleep cycles and therefore sleep between 7 and 8 hours.

Want to find out more?

In our new podcast sleep SMART! We talk to Dr. Markus Dworak about the phases of sleep and learn from him further interesting and scientific information about how important our sleep cycles and the different sleep stages are for a restful night and a healthy day! Listen now ➨

4. Conclusion

• Sleep consists of several sleep cycles that differ throughout the night and are divided into five sleep stages

• The five stages of sleep are: falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep

• During deep sleep, energy reserves are filled and the most important regeneration and building processes take place

• Restful sleep consists of 4 – 7 sleep cycles and therefore lasts between 7 and 8 hours per night at best.

Best wishes and see you soon!