Search results
Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) is a condition where people fall asleep repeatedly during the day. Check if it's hypersomnia. Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) is different from feeling tired all the time. If you have hypersomnia, you may: regularly nap during the day. fall asleep during the day.
- Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy does not cause serious or long-term physical...
- Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease,...
- Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is when your breathing stops and starts while...
- ME/CFS
Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue...
- Narcolepsy
- Overview
- What is the sleep cycle?
- Sleep cycle stages
- Factors influencing the sleep cycle
- How much sleep do people need?
- Improving sleep quality
- When to see a doctor
- Summary
During sleep, the body goes through multiple sleep cycles. Each cycle consists of four stages: three stages of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and one stage of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
A person will cycle through the stages of non-REM and REM sleep 4–6 times per night, on average.
The sleep cycle is a physiological process that occurs during sleep. It allows the brain and body to perform “housekeeping” functions, such as repairing or growing tissues, removing toxins, and processing memories.
Each sleep cycle consists of four stages, with each having varying effects on the body. On average, adults go through 4–6 sleep cycles per night and spend 90 minutes in each sleep cycle stage.
Stage 1
Stage one begins when a person shifts from wakefulness to sleep. It is a period of light non-REM sleep that slows down a person’s heart rate, breathing, eye movements, and brain waves. The muscles also relax, although they may twitch occasionally. This stage is short and lasts for around 1–5 minutes.
Stage 2
This is a period of deeper non-REM sleep, where the muscles relax further, eye movements stop, and body temperature drops. During the first sleep cycle of the night, this stage lasts for around 25 minutes, lengthening with each new sleep cycle. Overall, it accounts for more than 50% of sleep in adults.
Stage 3
Stage 3 non-REM sleep is the deepest stage of sleep and the hardest to awaken from. During this stage, heart rate, breathing, and brain waves become regular. A person will experience the most deep sleep during the first half of the night. With each sleep cycle, the amount of deep sleep decreases. This is the stage people typically find most difficult to wake from. If a person wakes during deep sleep, they may feel mentally foggy for around 30–60 minutes. The overall percentage of deep sleep tends to decrease with age.
Age
Adults typically fall asleep through non-REM sleep, while infants fall asleep through REM. Infants spend a much greater part of the night in REM sleep compared with adults. The percentage of deep sleep is higher in children than in adults, and it decreases with age. Most sleepwalking episodes arise out of deep sleep, which is why sleepwalking is more common in children.
Medications
Some medications have significant effects on sleep. For example, benzodiazepines decrease the amount of time a person spends in the deep sleep and REM sleep stages.
Caffeine
Caffeine can decrease the amount of deep sleep and REM sleep a person gets, lowering sleep quality. According to a 2013 review, while alcohol can help some people fall asleep, it also fragments sleep later in the night and reduces sleep quality.
The amount of sleep people need varies depending on their age. Sleep duration requirements may also vary slightly from person to person.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide the following recommendations for sleep duration by age group.
If a person notices that they do not feel refreshed when they wake up in the morning or that they experience frequent tiredness during the day, they may not be getting good quality sleep.
This can occur even if the person sleeps for a proper amount of time each night.
In many cases, sleep quality can improve with lifestyle changes. These include:
•developing or maintaining a regular schedule for sleeping and waking, including on weekends
•using the bed or bedroom only for sleep and sex, if possible
•reducing caffeine and alcohol consumption, particularly in the evening
If a person suspects they are not sleeping well and if lifestyle changes do not help, they may benefit from speaking to a doctor.
A doctor can help assess a person’s symptoms and determine whether they have a sleep disorder or another underlying condition that could be lowering their sleep quality.
Possible symptoms of a sleep disorder include:
•chronic fatigue
•daytime sleepiness
•irritability and mood changes
There are four sleep cycle stages, beginning with light sleep and ending with REM sleep. Each stage has a different effect on the body, and each is important for sleep quality.
Many factors can alter the stages of sleep, including stress, caffeine, and certain medications. What helps improve sleep quality will vary from person to person.
Nov 22, 2023 · Excessive daytime sleepiness is a symptom of an underlying health issue. The most common cause of excessive daytime sleepiness is sleep deprivation. Some medications, including sedatives, can also cause excessive sleepiness.
Oct 2, 2024 · A hypnagogic jerk is a sudden and strong involuntary twitch or muscle contraction, that occurs while an individual is beginning to fall asleep. The same phenomenon is called a hypnic jerk if it occurs upon awakening. Both are often known as a sleep start. It may affect only part of the body, like an arm or leg.
Apr 5, 2023 · Late-night awakenings can stem from a variety of different reasons — whether it be a sleep disorder or a temporary distraction — but here are some reasons you may be waking up hours before the sun is even up: Trips to the bathroom. Even while you’re asleep, your body is still hard at work breaking down what you ate and drank that day.
Oct 10, 2024 · It may be influenced by when you fall asleep at night and the normal circadian rhythms that regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Other factors can cause you to awaken regularly at night, such as stress, temperature, sleep habits, and medical conditions like sleep apnea.
People also ask
Can your mind keep you awake?
Why do I wake up at the same time?
Why do I wake up at 3am?
Why do I wake up in the middle of the night?
Why do we wake up before dawn?
What time do you wake up at night?
Aug 13, 2024 · Hypersomnia, which refers to either excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping, is a condition that makes it hard to stay awake during the day. When you have it, you might fall...
