August 30, 2009
Sleep and Sleeping Disorders
Before learning about sleeping disorder, it’s important to understand just exactly what sleep is. You spend about 1/3 of your life sleeping and during this time melatonin is secreted in an effort to rebuild muscles and give neurotransmitter receptors a time to rest. Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep, depending on age. There are five distinct sleep stages. Stage 1 is when the body starts slowing down. Stage 2 brain activity decreases and eye movements stop. Stage 3 is deep sleep. Stage 4 is a time for restful sleep. Stage 5 the REM (rapid eye movement) stage and this is when dreaming occurs. Your biological clock is influenced by the light and dark cycles of the day. If this is influenced by jet lag, working hours or artificial lighting, then you are likely to experience insomnia.