The study of the phases of sleep and their impact on proper rest. Characteristic features of human slow-wave sleep Radically increase the phase of delta sleep

(REM) sleep has become so engrossed in the study of its paradoxes that no attention has been paid to the slow phase of sleep. Slow-wave sleep was perceived as a natural backdrop for paradoxical sleep.

However, this phase itself declared itself and made us think about the role of slow sleep in the vital processes of the human body.

During another experiment on deprivation for several nights of pre-morning REM sleep, the experimenters were surprised that the deepest stage of non-REM sleep, delta sleep, wants to take revenge on the recovery night.

Means, slow-wave sleep and fast sleep are inseparable and are extensions of each other:

• the synthesis of norepinephrine, a mediator of paradoxical sleep, occurs in non-REM sleep;
• when the raphe nuclei of the brainstem containing serotonin are destroyed, both stages of sleep are disturbed.

Having many differences, they belong to a single balanced system, they are connected by chemical, physiological, functional and mental processes..

Drowsiness with its rhythm resembles REM sleep. and is often filled with half-thoughts, and occasionally with real dreams.

two or three nights spent to the accompaniment of sound awakenings reduce physical and mental performance, give a feeling of fatigue, and slow down the speed of reactions.

This result speaks to the dominant role of delta sleep for physical and emotional recovery.

At first glance, the activity of the galvanic skin processes and the nightmares that occur during this stage do not show the accumulation, but the consumption of energy.

However, recovery processes are hidden behind the external picture of energy consumption. They explain the revival of vegetatives, it goes in a fast dream.

A deep mental work takes place, in which (as in wakefulness) scouts of the mind take part - emotions that give the first assessment, not yet realized, to any impression, any thought or memory that comes to mind.

Where there are emotions, GSR is always present.

The effect of additional physical activity on non-REM sleep

Young men far from sports, engaged in mental work, exercised on a bicycle ergometer for 120 minutes. Daily loads had almost no effect on the structure of night sleep. Evening loads had a noticeable effect.

Everyone knows the wisdom "the morning is wiser than the evening." And these words have great meaning. It's no secret to anyone that a person after a bad dream hardly makes even the simplest decisions.

Almost every person has been in similar situations more than once. At the same time, the accompanying symptoms of poor sleep are dizziness, distracted attention, headache, low performance, and fatigue.

Quite a long time ago, scientists were able to identify a direct relationship between a person's well-being and various phases of sleep.

Quite a long time ago, scientists were able to identify a direct relationship between a person's well-being and various phases of sleep. This fact should be taken into account by everyone who tries to monitor their health. It is important to know what phases of sleep exist and how to get enough sleep in order to always be in good shape and have strength.

The nature and phases of healthy sleep - their features

The physiology of sleep lies in a special state of brain cells. The whole variety of nerve cells of the human body can be divided into homogeneous groups, each of which performs its specific function. Such clusters of nerve cells are called nuclei.

The process of sleep is inseparably linked with the state of wakefulness of a person. The relationship of these processes ultimately affects the activity of the immune, hormonal, digestive and other systems of the body.

The functioning of the human body in the waking state is aimed at maximizing the perception of the environment. Each biological process is targeted at a specific time of day.

The most important characteristic of sleep is the absence of a psychological connection between a person and the surrounding space. When the body sleeps, it loses the ability to carry out any activity, to respond to external stimuli.

It is not in vain that one third of human life is reserved for staying in such a state. This measure is the main protective function of all body systems.

Human sleep is a repetitive cycle of REM and non-REM sleep. The average duration of each cycle is 1.5 hours.

If you want to have an idea of ​​how you can always get enough sleep, you must understand that a good rest is sleep, when your body goes through phases of sleep that make up 5 complete cycles. In this way, each person should sleep at least 7.5 - 8 hours a day.

Differences between slow and REM sleep

From total sleep duration the slow phase is about 80%. REM sleep has a shorter duration, but it increases closer to the moment of awakening.

Different phases of sleep differ from each other not only in duration, but also in the functional component.

Slow-wave sleep helps the body recover. It is in this phase that children grow up in their sleep. REM sleep promotes the development of the nervous system. In the brain, all the information received during the day is organized, and important information is memorized.

A distinctive feature of the phases of sleep is the brain activity inherent in each of them. The brain is at rest during non-REM sleep. REM sleep activates all brain processes. While the body is in deep sleep, the brain is in a state of wakefulness.

How to fall asleep if it doesn’t work out for a long time, you can.

What destroys healthy sleep

Cyclically repeating phases of sleep are responsible for the quality of rest at night. However, how to get enough sleep if a person is unable to fall asleep or suffers from a sleep disorder?

In the most negative way, the normal process of sleep is affected by:

1. restless legs syndrome;
2. Insomnia;
3. sleep apnea;
4. REM sleep disorder;
5. Nightmares;
6. Narcolepsy;
7. Somnambulism;
8. Bruxism.

Such ailments are psychosomatic in nature. To eliminate them, you need to observe sleep hygiene, get rid of stress and frequent worries, and also seek help from a specialist who will select the necessary medications to improve your sleep.

How much and when should a person sleep

Many people are tormented by the question of how to get enough sleep without disturbing the natural phases of sleep? Numerous studies show that if you sleep regularly for at least 8 hours, the human body will not be subject to any disturbances from the nervous, cardiovascular and other systems.

Reducing the duration of sleep to 4-6 hours a day is already fraught with the development of certain pathologies.

Lack of sleep accumulates, and this adversely affects the neurobiological structure of the body. With a lack of sleep, you will experience a decline in your mental and emotional performance.

Then there will be a deceptive feeling that your performance has remained at a constant level, but your strength will continue to deplete.

Many people try to make up for their lack of sleep by being at work more hours.

However, if your work is associated with mental activity, with insufficient sleep, you will perform the same amount of work more slowly and less efficiently. This is due to the deteriorating memory functions, the ability to focus and concentrate on the desired object.

In order not to harm your own health and to be as efficient as possible, an adult should sleep from 7 to 9 hours a day. Children, teenagers and the elderly need to sleep strictly more than 8 hours.

Each person in modern society lives in his own rhythm and according to his own daily routine. But absolutely everyone is interested in the technique of how to get enough sleep without violating the integrity of the sleep phases.

Plan your morning carefully. Determine how much time you need to carry out hygiene procedures, breakfast and arrival at the place of study or work.

Having decided on the time of awakening, subtract from it the 7-8 hours necessary for sleep, and you will get the time of day when you should go to bed. It is also worth considering that The most useful and deep sleep is between 19:00 and 00:00.

Basic rules for healthy sleep

No one will argue with the fact that a full and healthy night's rest is provided by sleep phases. To understand how to sleep, you need to follow the simple rules of healthy sleep.

Don't limit your sleep time

The duration of sleep should be selected individually. It is affected by the state of health of a person, his weight, as well as the metabolic rate. The human body gets used to the mode of rest.

Unless absolutely necessary, you should not limit the time of night rest. A common mistake is getting ready for bed on the weekend, which starts much later than on weekdays.

Prepare your bed

An important component is the appearance of your bedroom. Get rid of too bright and catchy interior elements of this room.

In ancient times, the bedroom was forbidden to visit, even for friends of the owners of the home. They believed that someone else's energy could harm the tranquility and health of residents resting in this room.

The optimal temperature for healthy sleep is 18-21 degrees Celsius. It is preferable to cover yourself with a warmer blanket, but keep the room slightly cool.

Don't overload your stomach

Eating late can disrupt your sleep and worsen your overall health. During sleep, all body systems rest, recover and reduce their activity to a minimum level.

In the case of overeating at night, your stomach is forced to absorb food, instead of stocking up on resources and strength before the next day. After waking up, you will feel unrested, and your morning will begin with a feeling of heaviness in the stomach.

Don't excite the brain

Action movies, computer games and heavy thoughts about existing problems negatively affect the quality of sleep.

Try not to disturb your nervous system before going to bed. Excessive tension and negative emotions can cause insomnia or disturbed sleep that will not allow you to rest.

How to get ready for bed

To make your sleep more healthy, you need to follow a few simple rules.

The human body is subject to a complex of different cycles. In other words, he lives in his own biological regime, which is the circadian rhythm. You must support it with your daily routine.

Get into the habit of unplugging all electronics in your bedroom. Any electrical appliances interfere with the production of melatonin in the body. which helps him prepare for sleep.

Try not to spend the last hours before going to bed at a computer or tablet. It is best to relax while reading your favorite book or talking with people close to you.

Evening meals should be carefully monitored. The portion of food should be less than what you take in the morning or in the afternoon.

If you are having an evening lunch, put the required amount of food immediately on a plate. So you protect yourself from overeating and discomfort at night.

Foods that won't harm your sleep include:

1. A small portion of walnuts;
2. Natural yogurt with pieces of fruit;
3. Skimmed milk with whole grain bread;
4. Peanut butter;
5. Cherry;
6. Foods rich in magnesium.

It is widely believed that how well a person can sleep is influenced not only by the phases of sleep, but also by his location during rest relative to the four cardinal points.

Ancient Eastern healers and sages claim that the position of the human body during sleep has the greatest impact on its health, well-being and the level of inner harmony.

More and more experts claim that each person has his own electromagnetic field. At the same time, the top of the head receives energy (North Pole), and the feet emit it (South Pole).

Thus, in order to have a good night's sleep, feel cheerful in the morning and stay in a good mood all day long, it is necessary to coordinate the Earth's electromagnetic field with your own.

That is why the most The correct sleeping position is with your head to the north. So you can improve your well-being and strengthen your own health.

How to learn to get up early

A good start to the day has several benefits:

You need to understand that you will not be able to immediately jump out of bed at the earliest possible time. Getting up early is a habit that needs to be instilled in your body. From drowsiness after a sweet dream will help get rid of physical activity.

It is best to arrange light morning runs. If you do not have the opportunity to exercise in this way, you can cheer up with the help of gymnastics that warms up various muscle groups.

Do not overload your stomach at night with excess food. How can you get enough sleep before getting up early and go through all the phases of sleep if you tossed and turned all night and could not fall asleep from overeating?

Provide yourself with the necessary motivation. Plan important things for the morning, a trip to the pool. Without proper motivation, you will not be able to get up early and actively start your day.

Before that, it is important to relax, complete all your affairs, get rid of internal experiences and prepare your body for sleep.

If you've been sleeping long enough all the time, don't drastically change your sleep pattern. Change your habits gradually. But the surest way for you to go to bed no later than 23 pm.

It's important to relax before, complete all your affairs, get rid of internal experiences and prepare your body for sleep.

From this video you can learn new and useful information about sleep for yourself.

This video will tell you how to sleep in order to get enough sleep.

In this video, you will see useful tips for proper sleep, as well as get acquainted with its phases.

A sleepy person often faces problems of poor health, lack of strength. It loses its efficiency, and the functionality of all body systems deteriorates. Night rest is a physiologically complex process. It consists of 5 constantly changing slow and fast phases. At this time, a person has time not only to relax, but also to rethink the information accumulated during the day. It is important for everyone to know what slow sleep is, since it is it that allows you to fully restore strength.

The first experiments on the study of night rest, as a physiological process, consisted in its interruption at a certain time. After that, the sensations of the subject were recorded. They made it possible to establish that night rest consists of phases that change sequentially. The first scientist to study sleep was A.A. Manasein. She determined that sleep at night is more important for a person than food.

In the 19th century, the scientist Kelschütter established that sleep is stronger and deeper in the first hours after falling asleep. Closer to the morning it becomes superficial. The studies became most informative after they began to use an electroencephalogram, which fixes the electrical waves emitted by the brain.

Distinctive features of slow sleep

The slow phase occupies about 85% of the total sleep volume. It differs from the fast rest stage in such features:

1. Consists of 4 stages.
2. At the moment of falling asleep, the movements of the eyeballs are smooth. At the end of the stage, they freeze.
3. Dreams at this stage do not have a vivid plot. Some people may not have them at all.
4. Violation of the phase of slow sleep is accompanied by irritability of a person, he gets up tired, cannot sleep. His performance is declining, his health is deteriorating. This happens due to the fact that not all neurochemical processes are completed.
5. Breathing and pulse become slow, there is a decrease in blood pressure, body temperature.
6. At this stage, complete relaxation of the muscles occurs.

Advice! As for REM sleep, a person wakes up at this stage without consequences for the body. There is an activation of all vital processes: increased heart rate, breathing. This rest phase is shorter.

The value of deep sleep

In order for a person to get enough sleep, he must rest properly. During slow sleep, the synthesis of growth hormone occurs, intensive cell repair. The body is able to relax well, renew the energy supply. At this stage, the rhythms of all brain structures are regulated.

An adult has the ability to restore his immune system. If you sleep correctly, a sufficient amount of time, then the metabolism and removal of toxins from the tissues of the body improves. In the phase of slow sleep, there is an active processing of the information received during the day, the consolidation of the studied material.

Elements that make up the orthodox phase

The NREM stage consists of several elements, which can be read about in the table:

These stages have a certain percentage:

1. Napping: 12.1%.
2. Sleep spindles: 38.1%.
3. Delta sleep: 14.2%.
4. Deep delta sleep: 23.5%.

REM sleep takes up 23.5% of the total time.

Duration of the slow stage per night

Many users want to know how long NREM sleep should last per night to avoid sleep deprivation. This cycle begins immediately after the transition of the sleeper into unconsciousness. Then comes the deep phase. There is a disconnection of sensory perception, dulling of cognitive processes. Normally, the nap period can last 15 minutes. The last three stages take about an hour. The total duration of the slow phase (excluding alternation with REM sleep) is 5 hours.

The duration of this period is affected by age. In a child, this phase lasts 20 minutes, in adults up to 30 years old - 2 hours. Further, it decreases: from 55-60 years old - 85 minutes, after 60 years - 80. Healthy rest should take at least 6-8 hours a day.

It should be noted that the rate of sleep per night for each person is different. Someone can sleep quickly and 4-5 hours will be enough for him, and 8-9 hours will not be enough for someone. Here you need to pay attention to your feelings.

It's important to know! The determination of the exact time required for a night's rest is made by trial. This will take 1-2 weeks. But we must not allow a permanent violation of the slow phase.

Human condition during deep sleep

At night, the deep stage will be accompanied by complete relaxation of the muscular system, the brain. The conductivity of nerve impulses changes, sensory perception is dulled. There is a slowdown in metabolic processes, the work of the stomach and intestines.

During this period, the brain requires less oxygen, blood flow becomes less active. A proper night's rest will be characterized by a slowdown in the aging process of tissues.

Reducing the slow phase: what is the danger

Depending on how long the slow phase of sleep lasts, a person will have good health and performance. Its reduction is fraught with serious health problems: the clarity of consciousness is lost, constant drowsiness appears. Regular disruption of the normal duration and structure of sleep leads to chronic insomnia. A person has the following problems:

• increased fatigue;
• immunity falls;
• irritability increases, mood changes frequently;
• metabolic processes are disturbed, mental functions and attention are dulled;
• the work of the endocrine system becomes problematic;
• increases the risk of developing diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
• performance, endurance decreases;
• insulin synthesis fails.

Attention! A decrease in the amount of sleep leads to the development of atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, and oncological pathologies. A comparative analysis showed that the slow and fast phases of night rest are equally important, although their characteristics will differ.

Regardless of whether a man or woman has a disturbed sleep structure, how much a person sleeps, if he does it wrong, then rest will not give the desired result. To improve its quality, you need to follow these recommendations of experts:

1. Stick to a bedtime schedule. It is better to go to bed no later than 23 pm. At the same time, it is advisable to wake up no earlier than 7 in the morning (this indicator is individual).
2. Before going to bed, you need to ventilate the room. The temperature in the bedroom should not exceed 22 degrees. To improve the quality of sleep, you can take an evening walk in the fresh air.
3. A few hours before rest, you should not eat food that requires a long digestion time. In extreme cases, you can drink a glass of warm milk.
4. Night rest should include the period after midnight until 5 am.
5. It is strictly forbidden to drink coffee, strong tea or alcohol in the evening.
6. If it is difficult for a person to fall asleep, then he can drink tea with soothing herbs (motherwort, valerian), take a relaxing bath with sea salt. Aromatherapy often helps to fall asleep.
7. It is important to choose a comfortable position for relaxation.
8. Preference should be given to orthopedic devices for rest. The mattress should be flat and firm. Do not use a high headboard.
9. The room should be quiet and dark at night.
10. After waking up, it is better to take a contrast shower or do light gymnastics.

A proper night's rest in compliance with its structure is the key to good health and well-being. A person wakes up rested, efficient, in a great mood. Systematic lack of sleep will lead to serious violations of the functionality of the body, which are not easy to get rid of.

We now know that nighttime sleep is a complex physiological process that includes up to five cycles of REM and non-REM sleep. But more recently, in the 19th century, sleep was perceived by scientists as a phenomenon closed to study, in contrast to the state of wakefulness, which can be measured and observed.

You can evaluate the sleeping position, measure his physical indicators: pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, body temperature. But how to evaluate the fundamental sleep processes?

First experiments were based on the awakening of the subject, that is, on the invasion of the sleep process.

However, with the help of these studies, the idea was gained that sleep occurs in the form of successive stages.

Kölschütter, a German physiologist, established in the 19th century that sleep is deepest in the first hours, and later becomes more superficial.

A breakthrough in the history of sleep research was the discovery of electrical waves that occur in the brain and which can be recorded.

Scientists were able to observe, record and study the phenomena that occur in a dream with a person - using an electroencephalogram.

Numerous studies have established:

The state of the autonomic nervous system different in both stages.

In non-REM sleep, we grow faster: the growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland is produced more actively in this phase.

Dreams are of a different nature.

In the fast phase - the dream pictures are saturated with actions, brightly and emotionally colored, in the slow phase - the plot of dreams is calm or completely absent.

Awakening.

What is slow-wave sleep and how long should it last? Delta sleep is one of the phases of night rest, occupying one fifth of it. During this time, all cells are restored, and the brain processes the information accumulated during the day. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of the stage, since the physical and intellectual abilities of a person depend on it.

What is deep sleep

Night rest accounts for about a third of a person's life, 7-8 hours a day. This physiological process contributes to the recovery of the body and goes through 4 or 5 successive cycles of fast and slow phases.

The first (it is also paradoxical) takes up to 15 minutes of time. The second - orthodox or slow sleep - lasts about an hour and a half, comes immediately after falling asleep, has 4 stages. The last, fourth, deep or delta sleep has the greatest effect on the body.

The Importance of Deep Sleep

Why is the delta phase important in the process of night rest? During the day, the brain receives and processes a huge amount of various information, and its memorization is carried out in the delta phase. That is, the effectiveness of training and the level of intellectual development directly depend on the quality and duration of deep sleep. In addition to transferring acquired knowledge from short-term memory to long-term memory, physiological processes are of great importance.

In the course of scientific research, it was found that the maximum relaxation of the muscles is noted in the deep stage. At the same time, catabolism slows down and anabolism, the restoration of body cells, is activated. Toxins and other harmful waste products are removed from it, immunity is increased.

Thus, a person fully rests precisely in the period of delta sleep. A change in its duration or a failure of the entire cycle leads to chronic fatigue, drowsiness, a weakened immune system, and a decrease in intellectual abilities.

Structure

Slow-wave and REM sleep alternate throughout the night cyclically. Falling asleep begins with the first, orthodox phase. It lasts about an hour and a half and takes place in four consecutive stages:

• A decrease in the alpha rhythm on the EEG, the appearance of low-amplitude theta rhythms. At this time, a person is in a state of half-asleep, which may be accompanied by the appearance of dream-like hallucinations. Thought processes continue, manifesting in the form of dreams and reflections on the events of the day. Often there are solutions to pressing problems.
• The electroencephalogram registers the predominance of theta waves, as well as the occurrence of characteristic accelerations of the rhythm - "sleep spindles". At this, the longest stage, consciousness turns off, the threshold of perception rises, but it is still possible to wake the sleeping person.
• The appearance of high-amplitude delta waves on the EEG. In the third phase of non-REM sleep (from 5 to 8% of the total duration), they take up less than half of the time. As the delta rhythm predominates, the deepest delta sleep occurs.
• In the fourth phase, which accounts for up to 15% of the night's rest, consciousness is completely turned off, it becomes difficult to wake the sleeping person. This period accounts for most of the dreams, while the likelihood of manifestations of disorders (somnambulism, nightmares) increases.

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Orthodox sleep is replaced by REM sleep, the ratio is approximately 80% and 20%, respectively. In the paradoxical phase, a characteristic mobility of the eyeballs is observed, if the sleeper is awakened, he will remember a vivid dream of the sleep phase. The EEG shows electrical activity close to the state of wakefulness. Morning awakening occurs after 4 or 5 full cycles in the "fast" stage.

Normal duration

What is the rate of deep sleep? Its duration and quality are determined by the individual characteristics of the human body. For one, a 4-hour rest is enough, for another, at least 10 hours is needed to sleep. The duration is also affected by the age of the sleeper: in childhood it is up to 9-10 hours, in youth and maturity - about 8, and by old age it is reduced to a quarter of a day. The average ideal time for a night's rest is 7 or 8 hours, and the rate of deep sleep for an adult is determined by the percentage of phases.

If we take 8 hours of sleep as a basis, the duration of the deep period in a healthy person will average 20%. That is, in general, it will take at least 90 minutes, and each of 4-5 cycles will take 20-25 minutes. With a reduction or increase in night rest, the time of each phase decreases or increases accordingly. However, their ratio in percentage terms does not change, and the body is fully restored.

Processes in the body

The electrical activity of the brain is described in the corresponding section on the structure of sleep. And how are all phases physiologically manifested? At the beginning of falling asleep, the muscles relax, the pressure and body temperature decrease, and breathing slows down. In the second period, these indicators increase, but it is still possible to wake a person, despite the partial shutdown of consciousness and an increase in the threshold for the perception of external stimuli.

The deep phase, which combines the 3rd and 4th stages, is normally characterized by complete relaxation of the muscles and a slowdown in all metabolic processes. It is difficult to wake up, and motor activity indicates the presence of disorders.

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Causes of violations

Sometimes life circumstances require reducing the time of deep sleep (exam session or time pressure at work). A short-term increase in physical activity or mental activity is quickly compensated. But if the duration of this phase decreases over time, chronic fatigue appears, memory deteriorates, and somatic diseases develop.

The reasons may be:

• psycho-emotional overload, stress;
• diseases of internal organs, nervous or endocrine systems;
• forced awakenings at night (with prostatitis to empty the bladder);
• arterial hypertension.

All these conditions require seeking medical help and treatment, since delta sleep is vital for a person.

How to normalize deep sleep

The deep sleep phase should be at least 20% of the total. If you have chronic feelings of lack of sleep, weakness and fatigue, it's time to think about how to increase the total time of sleep. It is important to follow the regime, try to stick to the chosen time for falling asleep and waking up. Physical activity during the day and a quiet environment in the evening, combined with a light dinner, also contribute to the normalization of sleep.