Want Better Sleep? You’re Focusing on the Wrong Number

Sleep is kind of a big deal. It’s the best way for our bodies to recover after a hard day, and it also greatly influences our cognitive functions and immune responses.

Yet while many of us focus on the general number of hours spent in slumberland, quality sleep is a little more complicated than the total number of hours.

Of course, there’s merit to getting seven to nine hours of shut-eye — the number recommended by the CDC. But when it comes to sleep quality, you should really focus on stages and how restorative each cycle is.

When it comes to sleep quality, you should really focus on stages and how restorative each cycle is.

Each night when you lay your head down, your mind and body go through multiple rounds, each with their own impact on how “well” you caught those Zs. The amount of time you spend in each sleep stage varies, but understanding what’s happening in the brain at these key points can unlock a better relationship with your sleep hygiene overall.

What are these stages and how do they impact your nighttime recovery? Here’s a quick breakdown of a normal sleep cycle, how much time you should spend in each stage and tips for making the most of every pillow sesh.

The Stages of a Sleep Cycle

In a given sleep cycle, your brain will go through four stages — one for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and three comprising non-REM (NREM) sleep. Each stage has its own unique patterns associated with brain activity, and most people complete four to six cycles per night.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is when you first fall asleep and is some of the lightest slumber you’ll experience in a given night. While your body hasn’t fully relaxed at this stage, brain activity and other functions begin to slow slightly with periods of brief movements. This is why it’s so easy to wake someone up just as they’ve begun to nod off.

You’ll likely be in this stage for up to seven minutes. If you’re undisturbed and comfortable in a solid sleep environment — comfy mattress, cool temperatures, well-fitting pajamas — you can breeze through Stage 1 and enter the next realm of your cycle.

Stage 2

Stage 2, or N2, is still considered “light sleep,” but this is a solid chunk of your sleep cycle when breaking down your night as whole. According to the Sleep Foundation, we typically spend about half of our sleep time in this stage.

In Stage 2, your body begins to enter a more subdued state as your muscles relax more, your breathing begins to slow and heart rate falls. Additionally, your body temperature can begin to see a drop. Eye movement begins to dwindle, and brain waves show a new pattern.

Stage 2 is also unique as it’s the first sleep stage in a cycle that begins to lengthen with each go-around. Typically, athletes can be suspended in their first Stage 2 for roughly 10 to 25 minutes, and even longer with each passing cycle throughout the night.

Stage 3

Stage 3 marks your entrance into what’s known as “deep sleep.” In this phase of the night, your breaths, heart rate and muscle tone decrease so the body can relax even further. Brain activity in Stage 3 is also identifiable through the presence of delta waves.

Deep sleep is vital to your body’s recuperation during sleep, as it grants you the best chance to recover during a relaxed state. Some also claim that time spent in Stage 3 can bolster the immune system and other key bodily functions.

As you move through each sleep cycle, your time spent in Stage 3 will drop. During the first few go-arounds, you typically spend 20 to 40 minutes in Stage 3, while that timeframe dwindles toward the latter portions of your rest.

Heath Korvola

Stage 4

As the final stage in a given sleep cycle, Stage 4 is marked by the body’s entrance into what’s known as rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep. While your eyes and breathing muscles are still active in this phase, the rest of your body experiences atonia — a temporary state of paralysis.

There’s also a spike in brain activity during Stage 4, which is why many attribute REM sleep to vivid dreams. While dreams can occur in any phase of a sleep cycle, it’s here where they become more intense and prevalent.

Stage 4 sleep is vital, as proper rest during this stage can help boost memory, learning and creativity.

Quality time spent in Stage 4 of your sleep cycle is vital for cognitive functions, as proper rest during this stage can help boost memory, learning and creativity. As you progress through each cycle, your time spent in Stage 4 increases, with some of the later rotations going for upward of an hour. In total, your full night’s sleep should include roughly 25 percent of time in Stage 4.

Sleep Stage Segmentation

For deep sleep and the benefits of body recovery, adults should aim to have Stage 3 make up 25 percent of their slumber. So, if you sleep for eight hours, you should experience your deepest sleep for at least two of those snooze-filled hours. As stated above, your night should also have at least 25 percent of time spent in REM sleep.

Following this eight-hour example, that leaves four hours for light sleep and routine transitions between stages. There’s no true recommendation for the allotted time you spend in light sleep, as it’s near impossible to fall asleep without experiencing some of this nighttime phase.

How to Get the Best Sleep Every Night

There’s no concrete way to get your mind to stay longer in each given sleep stage, but there are factors that can contribute to a higher quality sleep overall. The better your sleep conditions, the more easily you can transition between each phase and the more productive your slumber can be.

The better your sleep conditions, the more easily you can transition between each phase and the more productive your slumber can be.

Steps like developing a routine before bed, improving your sleeping arrangements with comfortable bedding, getting to bed at a consistent hour each night and more can help set the stage for more promising snoozes down the road.

It can also be a good idea to set limits and cut-off points for your caffeine and alcohol consumption before bed. These drinks can negatively affect your brain’s ability to turn off when it comes time to hit the hay, so make sure to avoid these beverages a few hours before your slumber.

Above all else, it’s vital to stick to this regimen day in and day out. More consistent sleep times and nighttime habits can help bolster your Circadian rhythm and allow the body to fall into those first sleep stages more easily.

Want to know if you’re truly reaching your sleep goals each night? Consider wearing a smartwatch or fitness tracker during bedtime to help you download your metrics better. This information can be vital in helping you understand where your slumber is lacking, and what you can do to help bolster this necessary skill set.

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