If you’re having problems sleeping knowing how you rest or recognizing the mechanism behind what produces a healthy night’s slumber could be instrumental in comprehending why you have a sleep complaint. Sleep is not as cut and dry as you believe because of the various levels of rest. Your body engages in assorted procedures once your head rests on the pillow and you shut your eyes that defines how well you will sleep. Sleeping pills are prescribed for a number of reasons. They help restore sleep in a crisis or during illness. They are available on prescription and the dosage and length of time they should be taken depends on the individual and the circumstances.

The first stage of sleep is called stage one which is characterized by drowsiness as your feel yourself let go, your muscles fall into a limp state, and your eyes will drift closed on their own. This is the fastest developing phase, usually between five and ten. The next stage is light stage often called stage two and in this state your temperature and respiratory system retreat. The heart rate may also slow down as well during this part of sleep.

Both stage three and stage four of the sleep cycles are classified as deep sleep and are where normally you should have a problem being woken up. You might feel a bit dopey and unable to come awake promptly but this stage allows the brain to rest and as a result blood flow actually decreases, after which it is redirected to the body in order to help restore the body. It is important to note that there is a increased level of immune action during these two stages of sleep.

REM sleep is stage five and is generally thought of as the dreaming phase of the REM sleep cycle. Moving in and out of the REM cycle occurs often so you may find yourself having several dreams within the REM. This part of the sleep process is defined by a number of physical responses where you may experience rapid breathing that is both irregular and shallow. There may also be a rise in heart rate and blood pressure.

This particular portion of the entire sleep cycle is designed to assist in the processing of emotions and to help relieve stress with each of the sleep cycles giving the person a truly good night’s sleep. Light sleepers are stuck in the early sleep stages and hardly ever make it to phases three and four where the best benefits of sleep reside. Those who can’t wake up so easily likely are stuck in the deeper parts of sleep and awake suddenly rather than come awake through the various stages of sleep.

Sleep stages can become random based upon the time you have spent in each sleep stage through the previous week, so if you spend too much time in a heavy sleep one night you might become trapped in a light sleep the next evening. It really balances out over time and you’ll likely spend equal amounts of time in all of the sleep stages. This is one of the reasons why it is stated that it is impossible to get caught up on sleep but you can catch up on rest.