Two phases of sleep
NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement), REM (Rapid Eye Movement), these two phases alternate throughout the night in our brains.
- NREM consists of several cycles: falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep. In this phase we dream very little and not intensely. Our brain rests.
- REM is the phase of intense dreaming. This phase interests us the most.
Both phases alternate to form a full cycle that lasts about 90 minutes. At the beginning of our sleep, NREM is longer, and during the night it shortens in favor of REM. The whole process is very individual; not everyone has the same cycle lengths. It also depends on many other factors such as fatigue, our health condition, expectations for the next day, etc.
REM
lasts 10 - 30 minutes. In this phase:
- strong eye movements occur
- brain activity is almost the same as when awake
- magic happens in our dreams
- in this phase it is easiest to dream consciously or program a dream
- muscle atonia occurs, meaning most muscles are relaxed, which prevents acting out dreams. That is why we cannot escape from the enemy chasing us.
An interesting fact is that while we enter night sleep with the NREM phase, a daytime nap is almost entirely REM. The REM phase occurs 4-6 times during the night, and the later it is, the longer it becomes at the expense of NREM.
How to influence sleep?
First, prevention. That means a healthy lifestyle with a touch of sport. Without this, nothing will work. Alcohol, drugs, stress, lack of sleep, overwork, etc. are enemies that will make our brain fight for survival and ignore our efforts.
Then there are various techniques to influence sleep: WBTB (Wake Back To Bed), MILD (Mnemonic Induction), WILD (Wake Initiated), and many others. Here, however, we will deal with a completely different method…
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