If you’re like me, your favorite thing to watch is the backs of your eyelids. My favorite hobby is sleeping. If napping were an Olympic sport, I would be right up there with Michael Phelps and Simone Biles. However, my favorite pastime is often sadly interrupted by school, work, my sorority, sports, and other things.
Sometimes, I have to sacrifice my precious nap time so I can get a few things done. This might result in getting little to no sleep at all. This is the case for most college students. I did a little research and I’ve come to find that sleep deprivation is no laughing matter. To better understand why sleep is important, let’s go through what exactly goes on in every stage of the sleep cycle, shall we?
The first of these four stages is the one we’re probably most familiar with. During stage one, your eyes start to get heavy, your head might start drooping, and you get that all too familiar falling sensation (you know, where it feels like you’re falling off a ten thousand foot cliff). This is known as “hypnic myoclonia,” or "hypnic jerks." Stage one usually lasts about ten minutes, and you can still wake up pretty easily.
In stage two, you really start to calm down and ease on into deep sleep. Your heart rate will gradually slow down, and your body temperature will slowly decline. The brain starts to emit waves, known as theta waves. In addition to theta waves, sensations known as “sleep spindles”, which are essentially short bursts of brain activity. This stage is still counted as light sleep. It usually occurs for about twenty minutes. But, most people go through this stage more often than the others. Professionals say that most adults spend about 45-50% of sleep time in stage two.
Stages three and four are where the magic happens. This stage usually starts 30-45 minutes after you go to sleep. In this stage, the brain emits delta, or slow waves. This causes deep sleep. Sleep Spindles still occur in this stage, but not nearly as often. Brain temperature, breath rate, heart rate, and blood pressure are in their lowest levels in this stage. During stage three, REM, or Rapid Eye Movement occurs. This is the technical term for dreaming. By this point, small disturbances (noises or movement) won’t really wake you. If, for some ungodly reason, someone or something were to wake you during this stage, you will need about 30 minutes before you will be able to fully function properly. Young adults and children need more delta waves than adults and the elderly, because their brains and bodies are still developing. The brain typically is not done developing until about age 25.
It’s essential for the brain and the body to rest so they can function properly. Sleep deprivation is correlated to cognitive impairment, weight gain, memory problems, hallucinations, depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, a weakened immune system, heart disease, and more. So, take care of yourself! Make sure you get enough sleep at night. If you don’t get much sleep at night, try to sneak in a nap when you can during the day. Most important of all, don’t let the bedbugs bite!
