Sleep and dreaming- Understand the functions, features and benefits of sleep

Question 1

The four sleep stages?

Answer 1

Stage 1- sleep onset: This is light sleep and you can be easily woken up during this stage. Muscles are less active, eye movements slow and you can twitch suddenly. You go through Alpha and theta brainwaves. Alpha brain activity is restful and theta waves characterise a period between wake and sleep.

Stage 2- late night stage: your brainwaves are slower, mainly their waves, eye movements stop, and there are bursts of brain activity ( spineless). Body temperature starts to drop and the heart rate slows. This stage is found as you move into a sleep from light sleep ( stage 1 )

Stage 3- deep sleep: there are slow delta brainwaves, but also some faster waves. This stage is between light and deep sleep.

Stage4- deep sleep: almost all waves are slow delta waves. It is very hard to wake you in stages 3 and 4, as this is deep sleep. There are no eye movements and he was woken up, you can feel disoriented e.g. children can experience sleepwalking or night terrors when they are in deep sleep.

Question 2

What is the sleep cycle?

Answer 2

• One night’s sleep you will go through about five stages and REM sleep.
• A cycle of sleep last 90 minutes
• The first cycle has a short REM period and more deep sleep ( stage 3 and 4)
• As the cycle progress, REM sleep lasts longer ( up to an hour) and there is less deep sleep
• Towards the morning we are mostly in stages 1 and 2 and REM sleep.

Question 3

What is REM Sleep?

Answer 3

Part of the sleep cycle with rapid eye movements caused by eyes moving a lot behind the eyelids when dreaming occurs

Question 4

What is the sleep cycle?

Answer 4

a nightly pattern of a deep sleep, light sleep and

dreaming