GABA is a neurotransmitter that decreases nerve cell activity, playing a major role in allowing the body to sleep.Many of these chemicals are stimulated by light or darkness. There are various neurotransmitters and hormones released by the brain that send signals to promote sleep or wakefulness. Sometimes even a wild crazy dream can be forgotten by the time we awaken in the morning. People report dreaming in vivid color as well as in black and white. Dreams may occur to help process emotions caused by those events. Memory is processed and stored during REM sleep.ĭreams occur during the REM sleep stage and may include events or thoughts you experienced recently. REM tends to occur later at night and into early morning. It is the phase of sleep when dreams are most common, and certain nerves signal your limbs to become temporarily paralyzed so you do not act out the dream. Brain activity rises as you breathe faster and your heart rate increases. A lack of deep sleep can leave one feeling tired in the morning even if achieving an adequate duration of sleep.ĭuring REM, your pupils twitch and move quickly from side to side underneath closed eyelids. Events of the day are processed and stored in your memory. Your heart rate and breathing are the slowest during this phase, and you are not easily awakened. This stage often occurs early in the sleep cycle immediately following light sleep. Brain activity also slows, and your body temperature drops. Your breathing, heart rate, and muscle movements slow down. You transition from being awake to a restful state. We cycle repeatedly through these phases about 4-6 times throughout the night, and it is not uncommon to wake up briefly between cycles. They are classified as REM (rapid eye movement) and non-REM sleep. There are several phases of sleep our body experiences. These clocks can also be triggered by artificial bright light or stimulants like caffeine and alcohol that cause us to feel awake even if it is nighttime. They are triggered by cues such as daylight (we feel alert) and darkness (we feel drowsy). There are actually several circadian clocks in the body, found in the brain and other organs. Our internal body clock, called a circadian clock, tells us when we are ready to sleep. Sleep plays a critical role in brain as well as physical functioning. Although we may feel that sleep simply rests our tired bodies, our brain remains active throughout the night. Sleep is as essential to our daily needs as food and water.
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