Personal Narrative: The Five Stages Of Sleep

There are a few factors that are essential for life such as breathing or eating, but one of the most essential factor is sleep. Even though the amount of sleep people need differs from one individual to another, the fact is that eventually everyone needs to sleep. People know the importance of sleep, but due to the increased workload and the pressure of society people are getting less sleep. As a result, there has been an increase interest on the effects lack of sleep has on the mind especially the memory of a person. Many questions arose about the relationship between sleep and memory due to the fact most high school and college students have become sleep deprived. For example, does more sleep mean higher grades?

While experiencing good sleep, I will unconsciously pass through five stages: 1, 2, 3, 4 and REM sleep (citation). According to the PL100 text, these stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1, and usually,

I did not sleep well as a child. When I closed my eyes, I was not inundated with calming thoughts, nor fantastical images, but rather assaulted by existential anxieties which coaxed me into undesired ruminations about my being. I believed falling asleep was tantamount to relinquishing control over my ephemeral existence, as there was no guarantee of awakening. I found myself clinging to the present to the detriment of the future, desperately eschewing its hastened arrival for fear that it would not include me in its progression. And yet, every night, hour by hour, I would find myself succumbing to the physical and mental manifestations of sleep deprivation. I would come to plead for the very loss of control that I so viscerally feared, as

These stages are characterized by bursts of electrical activity on electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. EEG readings monitor electrical activity representing neuronal activity in specific neurophysiological regions. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is characterized by desynchronized, saw-toothed theta rhythm waves and heightened cognitive activity. Comparatively, high amplitude, synchronous delta waves, and sharp hippocampal waves characterize slow wave sleep (SWS) sleep (stages 3-4 of non-REM sleep) (Tucker et al. 2006).

While awake, beta waves are active in the brain. The first stage is known as REM. This is where rapid eye movement occurs. As well, dreams typically occur here. As you begin to fall asleep these beta waves become less prevalent and theta waves start to develop. This occurs in the early stages of sleep. Furthermore, this stage is known as N1 which is a light sleep that usually occurs for about five minutes. During this time body temperature drops and shallow, irregular breathing occurs. The next stage is known as N2. An EEG would show sleep spindles at this point. As time goes on the brain will begin to produce delta waves. These waves are long and slow. They occur in the deepest stages of sleep known as N3. This stage is also responsible for growth hormones being released in the pituitary gland. After N3 the body will begin to wake up on its own. The body will return to it's REM stage where body temperature increases and eyes have movement.

Aaron couldn't take his eyes off the window even if he'd physically been able to.

The skirmish between traditional aristocracies and new democracies in Sicily was damaging to the Sicilian people, particularly people who were from conservative family backgrounds. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa portrays the battle of old vs. new through following the life of an old Sicilian aristocrat, Don Fabrizio, commonly known as The Prince. Giuseppe uses The Prince to highlight the outmoded side of Sicily and the struggle to deal with the Risorgimento (Italian unification). Although many people during this time were accepting change, The Prince tried to ignore the change which is portrayed through the motif of sleep.

Hello Precious Pinky Painters, It's FRIDAY!!! And I have high plans for the weekend - Sleep. No, not very interesting, but completely necessary. I plan to catch some Zzzz's inbetween chauffering the boys from practices to events, to activities. I'm getting tired thinking about it. I hear my bed calling so let's get this post going.

The way you described your physiological limitation (p.114) was very understandable to me. Equally was your example of your personal struggle with sleep was such a good way to explain how influences perception (pg.113) affected you. Being so tired is not only does not let us retain the information we wish to but can cause illnesses and affect personal relationships. Sometimes I get very little sleep and then I notice how tired I become on my days off from work. I think that health and fatigue (pg.114) have such a major impact on our daily lives. Thank you for sharing your story.

Just learned about sleep At least I’d know what we learned Had I been awake If REM will only Decrease with age, how will I Ever dream enough?

For the last two weeks I tried out a new technique to help me get more sleep. My plan

This stage is believed to help people enter deeper stages of sleep (4). Stage 3 sleep consists of 20-50 percent delta activity and stage 4 sleep of more than 50 percents delta activity (4). Stages 3 and 4 are characterized as being slow wave sleep in addition to being the deepest levels of sleep. Approximately 90 minutes after being asleep, people enter rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep (4). REM sleep consists of rapid eye movements, a desynchronized EEG, sensitivity to external stimulation, muscle paralysis and dreaming (4).

She was sleeping like a child, resting her head on the book while hands fold over her stomach.

I had spoken to others in my office about their experience with sleep studies and was disappointed with my overall experience.

 There are five stages of sleep, REM and NREM stages 1, 2, 3, & 4.