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http://www.mystic-sleep.com/index.htm?aff=y/199 Sleep Stages and the Science of Sleep

Sleep is a significant health concern that is just as important as nutrition, exercise and stress management. There are many benefits of sleep, as our bodies heal and recuperate from the wear and tear of our day while we sleep at night.

Getting good, restorative sleep, however, is not just a matter of hitting the pillow at night and waking up in the morning. Regulated by your body clock, your nighttime journey consists of sleep cycles divided into specific sleep stages, all of which are vital for your body and mind. Accordingly, understanding the benefits of sleep cycles and stages can help you get a better night’s sleep.
Understanding the Sleep Cycle Stages

There are several different stages of sleep, and each one plays a different part in preparing your mind and body for the following day. There are two main types of sleep:

* Non-REM (NREM) Sleep
* REM Sleep (Rapid Eye Movement)

Non-REM Sleep

Non-REM sleep consists of four stages of sleep, and each stage is deeper than the previous one. The four cumulative stages of Non-REM sleep are as follows:

* Stage 1 (Transition to sleep) — The first stage of Non-REM sleep, stage 1 lasts about five minutes, where the eyes move slowly under the eyelids and muscle activity slows down. People in this sleep stage are easily awoken.
* Stage 2 (Light sleep) — The first stage of true sleep, stage 2 lasts from 10 to 25 minutes, where heart rate slows, eye movement stops and body temperature decreases.
* Stage 3 (Deep sleep) — It is difficult to wake a person in this stage of sleep, where you may feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes upon awakening.
* Stage 4 (More intense deep sleep) — The deepest stage of sleep, stage 4 restores physical energy while blood flow is directed away from the brain and towards the muscles. Brains waves in this stage of sleep are extremely slow.

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep

Your eyes actually move back and forth during REM sleep, and this is the type of sleep when you do the most active dreaming. REM sleep, or dream sleep, begins about 70 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep. Heart rate and blood pressure increase while breathing becomes shallow, and the arm and leg muscles become paralyzed.
Beauty Sleep

One of the benefits of sleep is the generation and rejuvenation of skin cells. While asleep, the skin makes new cells twice as fast as it does during our walking hours. Several studies have found that sleep-deprived people have lower levels of a specific growth hormone that the skin needs to repair environmental damage and produce new skin cells. Once skin cell replacement falls behind, wrinkles and slackness may result, which is why we have come to call our nighttime rest -”beauty sleep.”
Sleep Cycle Disruption

The benefits of sleep may diminish, however, if the sleep cycle is disrupted. Sleep cycle disruption caused by loud noise, excess light or other problems cumulated over time can lead to sleep deprivation.
Sleep Deprivation — Illness and Insulin Resistance

Timi Gustafson, RD, reports in her blog for the Seattle Post Intelligencer, that clinical studies have shown that sleep deprivation can be a contributing factor to a number of lifestyle-related illnesses — among them are obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Without proper rest, the brain also works harder but less effectively.

Patients with persistent sleep deficits have also routinely shown alterations in their metabolism, inhibiting their ability to manage glucose levels by making their cells increasingly insulin resistant.
Cortisol

Gustafson also reports that sleeplessness can lead to imbalances in the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol. Potential consequences of cortisol imbalance include:

* Weakening of the immune system
* Risk of a variety of chronic illnesses
* Psychological effects such as memory loss, mood swings and depression

Sleeping for Health and Quality of Life

There is compelling evidence that a healthy sleep routine can contribute greatly to one’s physical and mental well-being as well as their overall quality of life. Sufficient sleep ranks among the best defense mechanisms we have to stay healthy and handle our stress. In short, when we get enough nourishing sleep, we are more likely to stay healthy and well all around.

If you are suffering from a sleep problem and looking for additional tips on the benefits of sleep, consult with a doctor or visit a sleep center for diagnosis and treatment. Although scientists are still trying to learn exactly why people need sleep, animal studies show that sleep is necessary for survival.

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Sleep is the natural state of bodily rest. When you sleep, your body rests and restores its energy levels. Consistently good sleep helps you cope with stress, solve problems and recover from illness, and helps ensure long-term physical and mental well-being.

* Infants require about 16 hours a day
*Teenagers need about 9 hours on average
* Most adults need 7 to 8 hours a night for the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day
*Women in the first 3 months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual

Recommendations
You can optimize your health and quality of sleep by:

1) Reversing Damage – Years of stressful living caused damage to your body and mind. To help reverse this, Mystic Sleep releases hundreds of phytonutrients that act at the molecular level to normalize hormone levels, support brain function, alleviate mental duress, remove toxins, restore your immune system, and reinstate healthy sleep cycle.

2) Set a Schedule – Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. Avoid napping during the day. “Sleeping in” on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

3) Exercise – Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

4) Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol – Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps you awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee (100-200 mg), soft drinks (50-75 mg), non-herbal teas (50-75 mg), chocolate, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

5) Avoid Using Sedatives – While you might fall asleep, the complete restorative sleep cycle will be not realized. You might awaken feeling unrefreshed, groggy, or hungover. Once you stop taking the sedatives, you might suffer withdrawal symptoms which will further interfere with attainment of natural sleep.

6) Drink Milk – Milk contains a substance called tryptophan. The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a chemical in the brain. Serotonin helps control sleep patterns, appetite, pain, and other functions. Milk does not contain enough tryptophan to change sleep patterns, but drinking a glass of milk before bed may help you relax.

7) Avoid Large Meals / Excessive Fluids – This might cause you to awaken due digestion problems or urination.

Relax before Bed – A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine (deep breathing, yoga, meditation) can make it easier to fall sleep. You can train yourself to associate certain restful activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual.

9) Don’t Lie in Bed Awake – If you can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading, watching television, or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia. Don’t expose yourself to content that is prone to increase anxiety – like the news.

10) Create a Sanctuary – Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet. Use eye shades or earplugs if needed. Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.

11) Minimize Snoring – Sleep on your side to minimize snoring and breathing problems.

12) Sleep until Sunlight – If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.

Mystic Sleep stops the cycle of sleep problems. It increases production of melatonin which keeps your circadian rhythm in tune, thwarts the production of cortisol (the “stress hormone” which at elevated levels prevents sleep), regulates cyclical nocturnal surges of growth hormones which interfere with your sleep cycle, stimulates production of neurotransmitters to alleviate irritation and depression caused by insufficient rest, releases antioxidants to combat free radical damage and inhibit deterioration of brain function, supports liver and metabolic processes to remove toxins from your body, aids in production of Leptin which reduces your craving for excessive calories (Leptin is depleted by lack of sleep thus increasing chances of obesity), introduces bio-enhancers to increase availability of nutritional substances to help restore your body’s immune system, and counteracts tension and high blood pressure.

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Technorati Tags: apnea sleep, Circadian Rhythm Disorder, Compoz, CPAP, disorder sleep, Eszopiclone, Halcion, hypersomnia, insomnia, Klonopin, melatonin, Melatrol, Narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, Parasomnias, Restless leg syndrome, Serenite Plus, sleep aid, sleep apnea, sleep disorder, Sleeping Pills, Sleeptracks, Sleepwalking, snoring, snoring stop, Somnambulism, Valium, Xanax, Zaleplon, Zolpidem

www.SoundSleepHealth.com
Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA, degrades the quality of sleep and can adversely affect the cardiovascular system. CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure, is the best treatment. Identifying and treating sleep apnea may improve your quality of life. Brought to you by Sound Sleep Health.

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Technorati Tags: apnea, clinic, daytime, disorder, health, insomnia, intervention, juanita, kirkland, national, northgate, obstructive, organization, OSA, prevention, Problem, road, safety, seattle, sleep, sleepiness, sleepy, snoring, sound, study, symptoms, washington

Sleep is the natural state of bodily rest. When you sleep, your body rests and restores its energy levels. Consistently good sleep helps you cope with stress, solve problems and recover from illness, and helps ensure long-term physical and mental well-being.

* Infants require about 16 hours a day
*Teenagers need about 9 hours on average
* Most adults need 7 to 8 hours a night for the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day
*Women in the first 3 months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual

Recommendations
You can optimize your health and quality of sleep by:

1) Reversing Damage – Years of stressful living caused damage to your body and mind. To help reverse this, Mystic Sleep releases hundreds of phytonutrients that act at the molecular level to normalize hormone levels, support brain function, alleviate mental duress, remove toxins, restore your immune system, and reinstate healthy sleep cycle.

2) Set a Schedule – Go to bed at a set time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Disrupting this schedule may lead to insomnia. Avoid napping during the day. “Sleeping in” on weekends also makes it harder to wake up early on Monday morning because it re-sets your sleep cycles for a later awakening.

3) Exercise – Try to exercise 20 to 30 minutes a day. Daily exercise often helps people sleep, although a workout soon before bedtime may interfere with sleep. For maximum benefit, try to get your exercise about 5 to 6 hours before going to bed.

4) Avoid Caffeine, Nicotine, and Alcohol – Avoid drinks that contain caffeine, which acts as a stimulant and keeps you awake. Sources of caffeine include coffee (100-200 mg), soft drinks (50-75 mg), non-herbal teas (50-75 mg), chocolate, diet drugs, and some pain relievers. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep and REM sleep and keeps them in the lighter stages of sleep.

5) Avoid Using Sedatives – While you might fall asleep, the complete restorative sleep cycle will be not realized. You might awaken feeling unrefreshed, groggy, or hungover. Once you stop taking the sedatives, you might suffer withdrawal symptoms which will further interfere with attainment of natural sleep.

6) Drink Milk – Milk contains a substance called tryptophan. The body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a chemical in the brain. Serotonin helps control sleep patterns, appetite, pain, and other functions. Milk does not contain enough tryptophan to change sleep patterns, but drinking a glass of milk before bed may help you relax.

7) Avoid Large Meals / Excessive Fluids – This might cause you to awaken due digestion problems or urination.

Relax before Bed – A warm bath, reading, or another relaxing routine (deep breathing, yoga, meditation) can make it easier to fall sleep. You can train yourself to associate certain restful activities with sleep and make them part of your bedtime ritual.

9) Don’t Lie in Bed Awake – If you can’t get to sleep, don’t just lie in bed. Do something else, like reading, watching television, or listening to music, until you feel tired. The anxiety of being unable to fall asleep can actually contribute to insomnia. Don’t expose yourself to content that is prone to increase anxiety – like the news.

10) Create a Sanctuary – Make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet. Use eye shades or earplugs if needed. Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom. Extreme temperatures may disrupt sleep or prevent you from falling asleep.

11) Minimize Snoring – Sleep on your side to minimize snoring and breathing problems.

12) Sleep until Sunlight – If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body’s internal biological clock reset itself each day. Sleep experts recommend exposure to an hour of morning sunlight for people having problems falling asleep.

Mystic Sleep stops the cycle of sleep problems. It increases production of melatonin which keeps your circadian rhythm in tune, thwarts the production of cortisol (the “stress hormone” which at elevated levels prevents sleep), regulates cyclical nocturnal surges of growth hormones which interfere with your sleep cycle, stimulates production of neurotransmitters to alleviate irritation and depression caused by insufficient rest, releases antioxidants to combat free radical damage and inhibit deterioration of brain function, supports liver and metabolic processes to remove toxins from your body, aids in production of Leptin which reduces your craving for excessive calories (Leptin is depleted by lack of sleep thus increasing chances of obesity), introduces bio-enhancers to increase availability of nutritional substances to help restore your body’s immune system, and counteracts tension and high blood pressure.

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Technorati Tags: apnea sleep, Circadian Rhythm Disorder, Compoz, CPAP, disorder sleep, Eszopiclone, Halcion, hypersomnia, insomnia, Klonopin, melatonin, Melatrol, Narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, Parasomnias, Restless leg syndrome, Serenite Plus, sleep aid, sleep apnea, sleep disorder, Sleeping Pills, Sleeptracks, Sleepwalking, snoring, snoring stop, Somnambulism, Valium, Xanax, Zaleplon, Zolpidem

More than 40% of women snore during their pregnancy compared to 17% of the general population. Most of this increase in snoring takes place in the third trimester and is associated with poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Snoring is an independent risk factor for pregnancy induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia and is associated with lower fetal birth weight and lower Apgar scores. Wearing a mandibular repositioning appliance during sleep can dramatically improve the quality of life of women who snore during pregnancy and may improve the health of both mother and baby. This video is an interview with a subject who participated in a clinical trial of using a mandibular repositioning appliance to manage snoring during pregnancy. This is a comfortable, retainer-like device that moves the lower jaw forward during sleep and helps open up the partially collapsed upper airway.

Duration : 0:4:19

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Technorati Tags: daytime sleepiness, fatigue, hypersomnolence, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy, snoring