All about sleep Have you ever wondered what happens in your brain while you dream? When you sleep your body goes through 5 phases that vary in different brain waves and phases. This process is called the sleep cycle. According to the article Sleep Stages: REM and Non-REM Sleep on WebMD.com, most people's dreams are purely a "mental" activity: they occur in the mind while the body is at rest." For this to happen we must completely go through the REM or rapid eye movement phase. Throughout the sleep cycle, NREM or non-rapid eye movement sleep helps the body reach REM sleep and truly enter deep sleep. High brain activity occurs during REM sleep causing you to have vivid dreams and lots of movement while you are in the deepest stage of sleep. In NREM sleep you experience a lighter sleep phase, there is much less brain activity and dreams are not as vivid as in REM sleep, which can make you wake up more easily. 75-80% of your daily sleep occurs during the NREM phase. During the first NREM phase, you are still awake and very alert. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Your brain produces beta waves that are relatively small and fast. You may experience sensations such as hallucinations, a sensation of "falling," or hearing someone call your name. However, it is a very light sleep, the person can be woken up with little effort. This phase is called another part of the NREM phase. If awakened from this stage of sleep, a person may feel as if they have not slept at all. You may feel like you closed your eyes for a second, even though it's been a few minutes. Phase 1 can last five to ten minutes. The second phase begins about 20 minutes after the... middle of the paper... important because the deep relaxation that our brain and body really need is only in that phase. There is a certain amount of time we have to give ourselves to get there. Newborns require 16-18 per day while adults only require 7-9 per day. Although REM sleep is a much deeper sleep, it is not proven to be better than Non-REM sleep. The reason for this is that our body needs both types of sleep to fully rest. Without one the other would never be as effective. Work Cited “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep.” : National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Np, nd Tuesday. April 2. 2014.http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm “Sleep Stages: REM and Non-REM Sleep Cycles.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Wednesday. April 2. 2014