Recent studies have shown how important sleep’s different stages are for keeping our minds healthy, especially as we start seeing the damaging effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep doctors and neuroscientists explain how even a basic knowledge of the sleep cycle can dramatically enhance your zzzs. This understanding has led to long-term improvements in overall brain health.
Stage 1 is the first stage of sleep, the first stage that occurs once a sleeper is no longer awake. This phase often lasts only a few minutes and acts as a bridge from being awake to being asleep. Next, Stage 2 begins, which is a little deeper, and on average about 25 minutes long.
Stage 3 is considered the most restorative stage of sleep and is sometimes called slow-wave sleep. Whatever the reason, this stage is vital for our physical restoration and memory consolidation. Stage 4 is when we experience most of our dream activity or rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. Through this stage, your eyes flicker rapidly under your eyelids. This third stage is very short, only lasting 1-5 minutes. Yet it is essential to cognitive functions such as learning as well as to emotional and mental health.
Whether you’re a kid or an adult, experts all agree on one thing—quality sleep is essential for a healthy brain. Leah Kaylor, PhD, explains more about the brain’s activity during sleep, noting
“While sleeping, the brain shrinks, creating more space for cerebrospinal fluid to flood the areas where the brain’s waste products accumulate. This fluid acts as a ‘car wash,’ clearing out the toxins, misfolded proteins, and debris that have built up throughout the day, ensuring that our brain functions at its peak when it is time to wake up.”
This procedural focus on a subjective measure highlights the importance of making sure we all get enough time in those deeper, restorative stages of sleep.
Findings from previously published studies show that lifestyle factors play an important role in sleep health. For example, high levels of caffeine intake may impact the body’s ability to unwind in preparation for sleep. As Chelsie Rohrscheib, PhD, points out,
“People don’t realize how long caffeine stays in the body and continues to work.”
Caffeine can remain in your system for up to 10 hours, so timing is everything. For the most restful sleep, skip caffeine 10 hours before your bedtime.
Getting ready for sleep is about more than cutting out caffeine. Some experts suggest people complete their final meal and stop drinking alcohol three hours before going to sleep.
“Two hours before bed, begin to shift gears mentally to wind down and leave the stress of the day behind,” advises Rohrscheib.
According to the National Library of Medicine, these practices promote a strong circadian rhythm, the internal process that regulates the body’s internal clock and sleep-wake cycles.
Beyond just what happens when we sleep now, Kaylor emphasizes the importance of understanding how sleep architecture affects brain structure over time. She explains,
“By examining a cohort over 13 to 17 years, the research provides a longitudinal perspective on how sleep architecture impacts brain structure over time. This is important as it strengthens the evidence for causal relationships.”
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