Sleep Basics

REM stands for rapid eye movement but a great deal happens during REM sleep other than our eyes darting backwards and forwards in fast succession. To fully understand REM sleep, it’s useful to understand the whole sleep cycle. Types Of Sleep There are two types of sleep: REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep is divided into three stages: stage 1 (non-REM1, aka N1) or light sleep; stage 2 (N2) or moderate sleep; and stage 3 (N3) or deep sleep or…

At the centre of health and wellbeing is good sleep. We need sleep to rejuvenate our bodies, to boost our immune system, and to consolidate short-term memories into long-term ones. We need it for the release of human growth hormone and for the brain to clear out harmful toxins. Without sleep our mood, energy and mental alertness are compromised, which means and we typically can’t function at full speed.  But just how much sleep do we need – and how…