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Sleep Disorders

The inner workings of the human sleep process have always been an item of serious study over the decades. With various test and measurements we are constantly making attempts at understanding what happens to the human body when we enter into the realm of sleep. How can we alter the sleep pattern so that we can maximize its’ usefulness? And how can we adjust it so that we can eliminate some of the negative effects that are present from the lack of sleep or too much sleep in an individuals’ daily life. Let’s take a look at the stages of sleep and some of the problems that can arise when sleep is not regulated and explore the mystery that is called sleep.
Sleep is said to consume about “a third of life (25 years in an average lifespan)” (Parmeggiani 2005:556). Yet we do not fully understand the roll that our sleep plays in our general health and well being.
There are two basic types of sleep: Non Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) & Rapid Eye movement (REM). NREM has four stages (REM) has one combined together the two types comprise of five stages of the sleep cycle. (Scheck 2007:2)
Stage 1 (NREM) is the first stage of sleep “this is the hazy stage when you are just falling asleep” (Scheck 20007:3) You can be easily awoken in the stage of the sleep process often times you are not even aware of the fact that you have fallen asleep.
“Alpha rhythm (the predominant rhythm 8 to 12 cycles per seconds ) is reduced to less than 50 percent of total brain wave activity” (Scheck 2007:3) Due to the relaxation of your body we can sometimes experience a sensation of falling as a result of muscle contractions called “hypnic jerks”. Often because of the disturbance during this stage the individual will wake up disoriented and be unaware of their surrounding for a few minutes. This stage of sleep can take from 10 minutes to 2 hours depending on your ability to fall asleep without problems.
Stage 3 (NREM) is the transition phase of NREM sleep. This is represented by a slowdown of...