What makes you to sleep

The first stage comes between being awake and falling asleep. The second is light sleep, when heart rate and breathing regulate and body temperature drops. The third and fourth stages are deep sleep. Though REM sleep was previously believed to be the most important sleep phase for learning and memory, newer data suggests that non-REM sleep is more important for these tasks, as well as being the more restful and restorative phase of sleep.

As you cycle into REM sleep , the eyes move rapidly behind closed lids, and brain waves are similar to those during wakefulness. Breath rate increases and the body becomes temporarily paralyzed as we dream. The cycle then repeats itself, but with each cycle you spend less time in the deeper stages three and four of sleep and more time in REM sleep. Johns Hopkins sleep expert and neurologist Mark Wu, M.

A similar sleep gene exists in both humans and mice. Scientists continue to study this gene in hopes of understanding more about how processes within our cells affect our ability to sleep. The SCN is sensitive to signals of dark and light.

The optic nerve in your eyes senses the morning light. Then the SCN triggers the release of cortisol and other hormones to help you wake up. But when darkness comes at night, the SCN sends messages to the pineal gland. This gland triggers the release of the chemical melatonin. Melatonin makes you feel sleepy and ready for bed. Some neurotransmitters help your body recharge while you sleep.

They can even help you to remember things that you learned, heard, or saw while you were awake. The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is at its strongest both during REM rapid eye movement sleep and while you are awake. It seems to help your brain keep information gathered while you are awake.

It then sets that information as you sleep. So if you study or learn new information in the hours before bed, "sleeping on it" can help you remember it. Other neurotransmitters may work against you as you sleep. Abnormalities with the neurotransmitter dopamine may trigger sleep disorders such as restless legs syndrome. Even losing just 1 hour of sleep over a few days can have an effect.

Going for a brisk daily walk won't just trim you down, it will also keep you up less often at night. Exercise boosts the effect of natural sleep hormones such as melatonin. A study in the journal Sleep found that postmenopausal women who exercised for about three-and-a-half hours a week had an easier time falling asleep than women who exercised less often. Just watch the timing of your workouts. Exercising too close to bedtime can be stimulating. Morning workouts that expose you to bright daylight will help the natural circadian rhythm.

Don't use your bed as an office for answering phone calls and responding to emails. Also avoid watching late-night TV there. The bed needs to be a stimulus for sleeping, not for wakefulness. Reserve your bed for sleep and sex. Television isn't the only possible distraction in your bedroom. Ambience can affect your sleep quality too. Make sure your bedroom is as comfortable as possible. Ideally you want a quiet, dark, cool environment. All of these things promote sleep onset. When you were a child and your mother read you a story and tucked you into bed every night, this comforting ritual helped lull you to sleep.

Even in adulthood, a set of bedtime rituals can have a similar effect. Rituals help signal the body and mind that it's coming to be time for sleep. Drink a glass of warm milk. Take a bath. Or listen to calming music to unwind before bed.

A grumbling stomach can be distracting enough to keep you awake, but so can an overly full belly.