Headache Management: Sleep Strategies

What is Normal Sleep?

What you will learn in this section:

normal sleep stages
how the body controls sleep
how sleep changes with age

Sleep Stages

People normally sleep in cycles during the night that involve 2 states of sleep:

rapid eye movement or REM sleep
non-REM or NREM sleep

There are 4 stages of sleep—1 in REM and 3 in NREM. Dividing NREM sleep into 3 stages is pretty new, so you might still see books or articles that talk about 4 stages of NREM sleep.

During sleep, people move back and forth between NREM and REM sleep. This normal shifting back and forth between sleep states is called sleep architecture. A special graph called a hypnogram (see below) shows a person’s sleep stages.

Read about the different states of Sleep below.

What happens to the body in NREM Sleep?

Stage 1 (transition stage)

muscles start to relax, but can sometimes jerk
brain waves start to slow down

Stage 2 (light sleep)

muscles are sometimes contracted and sometimes relaxed
brain waves slow down more
heart rate and breathing decrease
body temperature decreases
eye movements stop

Stage 3 (deep sleep, slow wave sleep)

muscles aren’t very active, but can still move
brain waves are very slow
breathing rate decreases, but is regular
heart rate and blood pressure decrease
body temperature decreases
no eye movements

What happens to the body in REM sleep?

During REM sleep:

the arms and legs can’t move
brain waves are fast and not regular
heart rate increases
body temperature increases
blood pressure increases
the eyes are closed, but move quickly back and forth
breathing rate increases
people dream (but dreams can happen in NREM sleep too)

Why do people dream?

Research shows that dreaming improves memory, learning, and problem solving.

Current as of: July 9, 2018

Author: Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program, Alberta Health Services

This material is not a substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional. This material is intended for general information only and is provided on an "as is", "where is" basis. Although reasonable efforts were made to confirm the accuracy of the information, Alberta Health Services does not make any representation or warranty, express, implied or statutory, as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, applicability or fitness for a particular purpose of such information. Alberta Health Services expressly disclaims all liability for the use of these materials, and for any claims, actions, demands or suits arising from such use.

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