Understanding the sleep cycle is often the first step to better sleep quality. When you know, what affects your sleep cycle, you can take measures to cut out distractions and get ample restful sleep every night. Also, to help you understand the various sleep stages and sleep cycles easily, we have also created an infographic for this. Read more details on the source site: https://sleepsherpa.com/stages-of-sleep-and-sleep-cycles-explained/

1. Understanding Stages of Sleep
and Sleep Cycles
Different
Sleep Stages Explained
Factors that Affect Sleep Cycles
Controllable Factors
to Improve Quality of Sleep
What are Sleep Stages?
Characteristics of brain and body defined by brainwave frequencies, and eye and
muscle movements. Divided into Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-REM stages.
What is a Sleep Cycle?
The time required to complete the five stages of sleep. Typically, it is about 90-120
minutes in an adult, and 50-60 minutes in infants. Four to five sleep cycles per night.
Stage 1
Takes seconds to minutes to slip into this stage
Decreasing heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements
Transitional phase, relaxed wakefulness before
mind begins to drift off
Typically Lasts one to seven minutes
Easy to wake up, characterized by muscle jerks leading
to falling sensation
Stage 2
The sleep stage before you enter deep sleep
Lasts 10 to 25 minutes
Brain waves become smaller with the occasional
burst of rapid waves
An average adult spends 50% sleep cycle time in
Stage 2
Body temperature drops, eye movements stop and
heart rate lowers further
Stage 3
Deep sleep stage
Last around 10 to 40 minutes
Heart rate, breathing is at lowest levels
Body repair, bone and muscle building, immune
strengthening occurs
Muscles are relaxed; difficult to wake up during
this stage
Stage 4
Coma-like sleep
10 to 30 minutes are spent in this stage
Rhythmic breathing and heart rate; muscle
movements extremely limited
Night terrors, sleepwalking, bedwetting can occur
in this stage
Brain produces delta waves
Stage 5
or REM
Final stage of sleep cycle where dreaming occurs
Around 20% time spent in this stage, may last for
one to five minutes
Characterized by rapid side to side movement of
eyes behind closed eyelids
Arms and muscles paralyzed to prevent body from
acting out dreams
Sources
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School
American Sleep Association
National Geographic
Psychology Today
Breathing, heart rate, blood pressure are near
wakeful levels
Age – Infants sleep most while as you age,
the requirement decreases gradually
Gap between previous sleep session
Internal body clock and its relation to day
or night
Certain medications, exercise, smoking,
caffeine, screen time
Temperature, light and ambient sounds
Ensure bedroom is free from strong smells,
dimly lit, and temperature set to comfort
Get mattress that suits your sleeping style
Avoid screen time, smoking, exercising
or consuming too much food
Soft and cool sheets on mattress
Insulation from noisy environment or
use white noise machine
Stage 1
NREM REM
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Very light sleep
Light sleep
Deeper sleep
Very deep sleep, most restorative
REM sleep, when we dream