What Happens When We Sleep?

While many of us think of sleep as a largely forgotten stretch of time when nothing happens, sleep is, neurologically speaking at least, a busy time indeed.

Stage One: Light Sleep

During the first stage of sleep, we’re half awake and half asleep. Our muscle activity slows down and slight twitching may occur. This is a period of light sleep, meaning we can be awakened easily at this stage.

Stage Two: True Sleep

Within ten minutes of light sleep, we enter stage two, which lasts around 20 minutes. The breathing pattern and heart rate starts to slow down. This period accounts for the largest part of human sleep.

Stages Three and Four: Deep Sleep

During stage three, the brain begins to produce delta waves, a type of wave that is large, high amplitude, and slow (low) frequency. Breathing and heart rate are at their lowest levels during this stage.]Stage four is characterized by rhythmic breathing and limited muscle activity. If we are awakened during deep sleep we do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disorientated for several minutes after waking up.
Deep sleep is the most important phase of sleep. Deep sleep is important for growth and repair of the body, social and emotional functioning, restoring physical energy, and maintaining a healthy immune system.

REM Sleep

The first rapid eye movement (REM) period usually begins about 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep. We have around 3 to 5 REM episodes a night. ]Although we are not conscious, the brain is very active during REM sleep - often more so than when we are awake. This is the period when most dreams occur. Our eyes dart around (hence the name), our breathing rate and blood pressure rise. However, our bodies are effectively paralyzed which is said to be nature’s way of preventing us from acting out our dreams.
Dream sleep is also important. This stage is associated with processing emotions, retaining memories, learning, and relieving stress.After REM sleep, the whole cycle begins again.

Why can't I sleep?

The amount and quality of sleep you get can be affected by many things, including:
[li]
How comfortable you areLight, sound, cold, heatBeing hungry or thirstyPhysical illness or painMentall health problems such as depressionDrugs and alcoholHow active you have been during the day[/li]

Drugs and Sleep[

Drugs have a powerful affect on sleep.
Sedative drugs such as heroin, Valium, sleeping pills, and alcohol may reduce the time it takes to go to sleep but they often disrupt sleep later in the night. They can also cause serious problems with getting to sleep when you stop taking them. Regular use of sedative drugs (which are often taken in an attempt to get to sleep) is a major cause of sleep problems.Stimulant drugs like amphetamines and cocaine can keep a person awake when they would normally sleep. This causes a total disruption of normal sleep patterns that can have long-lasting effects on a person's sleep quality. Nicotine and caffeine are both mild stimulant drugs that can also disrupt your sleep.

Alcohol and Sleep

Having a nightcap or drinking alcohol in the hour before bed may reduce the time it takes to first get to sleep but, after about 3 or 4 hours, alcohol usually makes sleep more disturbed and wakeful. There are several reasons for this. Alcohol fills your bladder which means you have to get up to go to the toilet. It can also trigger strange and disturbing dreams. Alcohol can also affect your breathing during sleep; causing snoring and periods when breathing actually stops (this is called sleep apnea). This leaves you waking up feeling tired and “fuzzy” even after several hours of sleep.

How Drugs Affect Sleep

[li]Cannabis: It can take you longer to fall asleep, decreasing the quantity of sleep and has not been found to increase the quality of sleep as using cannabis before bed triggers less REM sleep.Stimulants: You are initially unable to sleep. This directly causes less REM and deep sleep in general. When you stop using the drug, the withdrawals can trigger excessive sleep, further disrupting normal sleep patterns. They can also cause disturbances in REM sleep causing nightmares or night terrors. Caffeine and nicotine: These stimulants can cause delays in falling asleep, giving you decreased REM/deep sleep. You may wake up more often thoughout the night to use the restroom with excessive caffeine intake and your dependance on nicotine can wake you too early so that you can smoke.Alcohol: Booze decreases REM/deep sleep, is likely to trigger restless sleep and cause you to wake early, can cause sleep apnea, and can cause sleep problems during detox.Opiates: These and opioids cause a decrease in REM and deep sleep, can cause sleep apnea due to respiratory effects, and can cause sleep problems during detoxBenzodiazepines: While these substances may (or may not) help you to fall asleep, they cause decreased REM and deep sleep. Due to the sedative qualities of benzodoazepines, you often don’t remember having broken sleep patterns and will wake feeling fuzzy and disoriented. These also cause intense rebound insomnia during withdrawals.[/li]

How To Establish Good Sleep Hygiene.

There are various techniques when it comes to sleep management.

How To Establish a Healthy Sleep Pattern

[li]Get up at a regular time. Stick to it even if you haven’t had much sleep.Go to bed at a regular time. Stick to this time as well even if you do not feel sleepy. Remember, you are retraining your brain and body to get used to a pattern and it might take time.Exercise - morning or afternoon is best as exercising just before bed can make it more difficult to fall asleep.[/li]
[li]Don't take naps or sleep during the day.Cut out caffeine and cigarettes or avoid them in the evening.Don’t drink alcohol - especially in the eveningDo something relaxing before bed such as have a bath or do a relaxation routine.[/li]
[/li]Don’t let yourself worry about things in bed, write them down, get up and do something relaxing or have a contact you can call if you need to vent and then put the worries away as best as you can.Be patient with yourself, especially if you are detoxing. Your sleep pattern will get better, but it can take time.Keep a sleep diary and use it to identify the things which make you sleep better or worse.

The Bootzin Technique

This effective treatment was developed in Chicago by Dr. Richard Bootzin. The basic steps are:
[li]Go to bed only when you are sleepy.Use the bed only for sleeping.If you are unable to sleep, get up and do something else; return only when you are sleepy; if you still cannot sleep, get up again. The goal is to associate bed with sleeping rather than with frustration. Repeat as often as necessary throughout the night.Set the alarm and get up at the same time every morning, regardless of how much or how little sleep you've had.Do not nap during the day.[/li]
Using this technique, people initially find they get up between five and ten times during the night. As sleep deprivation increases over the next few nights it becomes easier for them to fall asleep and soon normal sleep is achieved. Completing a sleep diary in these circumstances is often helpful to identify how much sleep and how many periods of waking up you are having.

Controlling Breathing

A good way to start relaxation is to work on your breathing. Place one hand on your stomach. Breathe in through your nose to the silent count of four, allowing your stomach to swell. Breathe out gently through the mouth to the count of six, allowing the stomach to return to normal. Count to two and inhale again. Try to get a rhythm going, counting to four on the in-breaths and to six as you exhale. You are aiming to take about 8–12 breaths per minute.

Simple Meditations

To begin...When you're ready, drop your shoulders, close your eyes, and begin to focus on your breathing. Focus on your breath as it enters and leaves your nose, this is your point of focus for this meditation, and this is where your attention should stay. If your mind wanders, just keep drawing it back to this point. Take some deep breaths and allow your stomach to fill out with each inhalation and fall back in with each breath out. Let any thoughts just wander through your mind and out again, don't try to push them away, or focus on them, just let them drift past. Keep drawing your attention back to your breathing, back to the point at the tip of your nose, where each new breath enters your body. Continue like this breathing deeply and focused on your breath for the next few minutes.

The Grounding Technique

Before you do any energy work on yourself or others it is important to ground yourself. This is also very effective when you feel anxious or nervous. Place your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your top teeth, shrug your shoulders and shake your arms for a few moments to free up any tension. Now focus on your feet and imagine them sinking down into the ground that supports them, imagine them feeling rooted deep into the earth.

Five Finger QiGong

Five finger qigong is an exercise often used for calming the mind and easing anxiety. To begin with sit down in a comfortable position and make an o-shaped ring with the thumb and index finger of both your hands. Rest your hands lightly on your lap, with your palms facing upwards and breathe deeply becoming aware of the cooling sensation as the air enters your nose. Remain like this breathing calmly for a few moments. Focus on your breath and the slightest, lightest pressure between your thumbs and index fingers. Now move your thumbs to connect lightly with your middle fingers and continue to breathe slowly and deeply for the next few minutes. When a few minutes has passed move your thumbs lightly onto your ring fingers and keep breathing deeply and calmly for the next few moments.

Healing Energy Meditation

Now cup your hands but keep your fingers slightly apart, bring your hands in front of you level with your navel have your left hand cupped facing palm upwards as if it was holding an imaginary ball and place your right hand on top of that imaginary ball with its palm facing downwards so the ball is contained in the curved space of your two cupped palms, with your left hand at the bottom and your right hand resting on the top. Keeping your knees soft, your spine straight and your breathing deep and steady, focus your attention on that imaginary ball and begin to move your hands around it, rotating it in front of you. As you breathe you can imagine that ball filling with vital energy.
Keep moving your hands around, breathe deeply and focus your attention on the ball of healing energy, with each breath in imagine filling the ball with more and more vital energy, and soon you might notice a slight warm resistance between your hands.
Keep breathing deeply and building the energy in the ball as you move your hands around it, focus on the ball, focus on its warmth, on the resistance between your hands and on your deep, steady breath. Now bring your two hands around the ball and gradually pull the ball towards your navel. Focus on the warm energy entering your body through your navel and lightly rest your hands on your stomach. Picture the energy traveling up through your body. Feel and picture the energy recharging, filling the organs. Continue up through your body and when you reach the shoulders, continue up your neck, face, to the top of your head, where like a water sprout, it spills out (a foot or so) above your head then splashes over you. Picture the energy coming down through the top of your head, neck, shoulders, into your back, down your back, going down your arms and up out of your hands, down through hips, thighs, and legs back into the ground below. Allow your hands to drop down by your side and relax your body for a few moments. Gently shake your hands and when you’re ready to come back to the room and slowly open your eyes.
[category]Recovery & Addiction[/category]