What Goes on in Your Brain When You Sleep?

When we think of essentials for survival we think of food and water. However, getting quality sleep at the right times is just as important. According to the latest research, toxins in the brain build up while we are awake. In order to get rid of those toxins, we need to get quality sleep. In this week’s blog I will talk a little bit about what goes on in your brain while you sleep.

Sleep stages

We differentiate two types of sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, which has three different stages. Throughout the night, we go in and out of both of these styles repeatedly. The three different stages of non-REM sleep include the changeover from wakefulness to sleep, entering light sleep, and entering deep sleep. Entering deep sleep, which is the last stage of non-REM sleep, is the period that we need in order to feel refreshed in the morning. The last overall stage of our sleep is REM sleep, which occurs approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. This stage is where most of our dreaming occurs. 

How much sleep do you need

As we age our sleep patterns change. There is no set number for how much people need to sleep. As most of us know, babies spend most of the day sleeping, ranging from 16-18 hours of sleep as it helps to their growth and development. From school-age children to adults, our sleep varies from 7 to 9.5 hours per night. However, after the age of 60, sleep hours tend to decrease, as the sleep is lighter. 

Dreaming

According to the latest research, everyone spends about two hours dreaming per night. Some researchers claim that dreaming could potentially help people deal with emotions, even though the purpose of dreaming is not clear yet. The whole brain is active during dreams.

The amygdala is the part of the brain that is associated with fear, and is one of the most active parts of the brain during the sleep. Additionally, our limbic system, which is associated with emotions, and our cortex, which is where the content of our dreams come from, are very active as well. Having said that, it is common that our brain turns off and relaxes during non-REM sleep. However, our brain is really active during REM sleep. 

We hope our Emma mattress brings you a relaxed and dreamy night’s sleep!