Sleep Well To Stay Healthy

Good quality sound sleep is to fall asleep easily, stay asleep, and feel rested upon waking.

- DR P.S. VENKATESH RAO

There are two essential alternating phases of a typical 90-minute sleep cycle, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and NREM (Non-REM), each playing a distinct role in rest and recovery. Early sleep cycles have more NREM sleep, and later cycles have more REM sleep. Infants have more REM sleep. The recommended number of hours of sleep varies with age. Adults generally need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, while children and teenagers require more, and infants need even more sleep. Pain, depression, anxiety, stress, exposure to light before bed, sleep and lifestyle factors like lack of exercise, shift work, jet lag, caffeine, alcohol, and substance abuse, apnea, and other sleep disorders, heart disease, lung disease, and neurological disorders can interfere with sleep patterns. Poor sleep quality leads to difficulty getting up in the morning, daytime sleepiness, tiredness, irritability, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, reduced productivity, feeling hungry more often, with potential for weight gain, and increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Certain medications can affect sleep, while others can be used to treat sleep disorders.

NREM SLEEP: It has 3 stages of depth with slowing of breathing and heart rate, lowering of body temperature, and relaxation of third stage of NREM sleep, characterized by slow, large brain waves called delta waves and minimal muscle activity, where it's difficult to wake someone up. Muscle repair, regeneration, and growth occur during this stage. It also contributes to memory consolidation and learning. NREM sleep is vital for strengthening the immune system and repairing the body's tissues and processes.