After a busy day, we often seek a way to rejuvenate and that is sleep. Sleep is an important part of the body's natural cycle, and it plays a vital role in our physical and mental health, memory ability, and emotional regulation. However, what happens to the body when we fall asleep? What is the brain doing? Next, let's explore together what happens when we sleep.
First, we need to understand what sleep is. Sleep is a natural state of the human body that includes two main states: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. These two states alternate during our sleep, forming a sleep cycle.
When we fall asleep, our body and brain begin to undergo a series of changes. The first is that our heart rate slows down, our breathing becomes smoother, and our blood pressure drops accordingly. At the same time, our muscles relax and the body's metabolic rate decreases to conserve energy.
During non-REM sleep, our body and brain begin to repair and recover. This stage has important implications for memory and learning, the immune system, and emotional regulation. Non-REM sleep stages typically account for 70-80% of our entire sleep time.
This is followed by the REM sleep phase. During this phase, our eyes move rapidly, our breathing becomes shallow and brisk, and our blood pressure and heart rate rise. This stage is mainly for our brain and body to engage in active activities such as learning and innovative thinking. Although REM sleep only accounts for 20-30% of our total sleep time, it plays an important role in aspects such as our cognitive function and mental health.
In addition to these two sleep states, we also need to understand the five stages of sleep. The five phases are: onset of sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, deep sleep, and REM. These five phases occur sequentially during our sleep, and each stage has different physical and psychological characteristics.
In conclusion, when we sleep, our body and brain go through a series of changes. These changes help our body and brain to recover and repair, while also helping to improve our cognitive function and mental health. Therefore, getting enough sleep is very important for our physical and mental health. If we often lack sleep or sleep poorly, it can lead to problems such as poor concentration, memory loss, and emotional instability. Therefore, we should pay attention to the importance of sleep and maintain enough sleep time as much as possible to maintain good physical and mental health.