There are two stages of sleep: non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Deep sleep is the third stage of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. Deep sleep is also known as slow-wave sleep. This is the sleep stage when your brain waves are slowest, and your heart rate and breathing are slower as well.
When you sleep, your body goes through different stages of the sleep cycle. For example, deep sleep is the stage of sleep you need to feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning.
What Happens During Deep Sleep?
During deep sleep, your body goes through many processes that are important for optimal brain function. When you are in a deep sleep phase, you will not be easily awakened and when you wake up you will feel disoriented and dizzy.
In the deep sleep phase, your declarative memory increases, that is recollection of facts and events from your daily life. Growth hormone that helps repair organs, muscles, and tissues are also released by the pituitary gland. When you can recover from an injury, this is when your body does most of the work to heal itself.
Different stages of sleep
The non-REM phase of your sleep cycle consists of three phases:
- The first stage occurs when you first fall asleep. It usually only lasts a few minutes, and at this stage, you can easily still be awake.
- The second phase takes place just before your body goes into a deep sleep phase. Here your body temperature drops and your heart rate and breathing slow down. The rolling eye movements you experienced during the first phase will also stop.
- In the third stage of deep sleep, your heart rate and breathing slow down even more.
REM phase
During this phase you will experience the following:
- Your eyes move quickly from left to right.
- You start to dream.
- Your heart rate goes up.
- Your breathing becomes faster and sometimes even irregular.
A good sleep or deep sleep is very important for your health. During deep sleep, the brain can recover from all the activities it has undergone during the day.
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