The meaning of the sleep phases

Our sleep is made up of several sleep cycles in which we go through different sleep phases night after night. Find out here which sleep phases there are and what significance the individual sleep stages have for a restful night.

Table of contents

How does our sleep work?
The sleep phases at a glance
The Importance of Sleep Cycles
Conclusion

1. How does our sleep work?

Our sleep is essential for our energy balance and numerous important recovery, repair and building processes in our brain, tissue and cells. Sufficient and restful sleep is therefore one of the most important foundations for healthy body function and an efficient, healthy everyday life. Experts generally recommend that adults sleep 7-8 hours a night - and that 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 very important to go through enough sleep cycles and give the body time to regenerate. We give you an overview of the different sleep stages and explain the importance of the individual phases for restful sleep.

2. The sleep phases at a glance

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. In adults, the phase of falling asleep takes about 5-20 minutes.

light sleep phase

During this period of sleep, our muscles relax, our pulse and breathing become more regular and our body temperature drops. We spend almost half of our sleeping time in this rather superficial sleep, in 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. It dominates the first third of the night and ensures that our body shuts down even further, heart rate and breathing slow down and blood pressure drops. In this stage, the so-called "slow wave Sleep“, the frequency of the brain waves drops 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 built up, the immune system is trained and energy reserves are renewed. And our brain is also active, since in deep sleep the declarative memory, which is responsible for the Learn of facts and memories.

REM sleep phase

After deep sleep, we slip into 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 experiences of the day and we move our eyes quickly 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 what is known as 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 activity. 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 skills 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. A cycle lasts around 90 to 110 minutes and consists of a fixed sequence of five sleep stages, with the ratio of sleep phases within a sleep cycle changing over the course of the night. At the beginning of our sleep we experience longer deep sleep phases because these are urgently needed to restore the energy reserves used up during the day. Towards the end of the night we then 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 the body and brain, and the most important building processes take place in our cells and nervous system. However, to wake up 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 know 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 phase, light sleep phase, deep sleep phase, REM sleep phase
In deep sleep, energy reserves are filled and the most important regeneration and building processes take place
A restful sleep consists of 4 – 7 sleep cycles and therefore lasts between 7 and 8 hours per night at best.

Best regards and see you soon!

From Alisia von smartsleep®

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