The sleeping process: you can lie awake worrying about sleeping
What is sleep?
Sleep is a condition of physical rest and a low level of consciousness.
Sleep consists of four to six successive cycles. Each cycle in turn consists of five phases and lasts a total of 90 to 120 minutes. Per cycle, there is always light sleep (phases 1 and 2) and deep sleep (phases 3 and 4).
Per night, you have to have gone through at least four cycles to wake up well rested. But the cycles do not all proceed in the same way. During the first cycles, the periods of deep sleep are longer and there is maximum recovery. As morning approaches, we have more REM sleep and at this stage we sleep more superficially and we dream more.
This means that sleeping longer does not make a great deal of difference. The important deep sleep occurs mainly during the first cycles.
Moreover, our body senses our need for sleep and adapts the sleep to it. For instance, if you sleep less well one night, you will have longer periods of deep sleep the following night.
How important is sleep?
Everyone needs sleep. It is a basic need. We spend a third to a quarter of our lives asleep. On an annual basis alone, this amounts to 3 000 hours.
Also sleep is not as simple a process as many people think. Sleep is in fact a particularly active event. In the past, it was thought that sleep was a kind of comatose condition of no real importance. But now we know that a lot happens during our sleep and that it is extremely important.
Night rest and healthy living are inseparable. He who sleeps well, feels well. And he who relaxes on time sleeps wonderfully.
Mental health and vitality are factors of the quality of life that are most strongly affected by sleep. Click here to read about the benefits of sound sleep.
How much sleep do we need?
The need for and structure of sleep differ according to age, personality and circumstances (e.g. stress, pregnancy, illness, etc.).
The number of hours of sleep varies between four and ten hours per 24 hours. On average, an adult needs seven to eight hours of sleep to feel well rested. But for some people five hours of sleep is enough while others only feel fit when they have had ten hours' sleep. So the best advice is: listen to your own body. It is important to meet your own sleep requirement because a shortage of sleep is very harmful in the long term (on this subject, see benefits of sound sleep).
Sleep difficulties
Sleeplessness is a disturbance of the length and/or quality of the sleep process. There are sleep difficulties if one has difficulty in falling asleep more than three times a week, has problems falling asleep after having woken up, waking up too early, etc. Lack of sleep often has a negative impact on quality of life: fatigue, sleepiness, irritability and loss of concentration hamper our daily activities and may have serious consequences (e.g. road and work accidents).
Sleep is in fact a mirror of our activities during the day. Example: someone who is active till late at night will not be able to fall asleep immediately. Someone who worries all day is bound to have a restless night. And certain types of food (e.g. coffee), medicines and alcohol also adversely affect our sleep.
If the problems are temporary, the sleepless nights will usually disappear just as quickly. However, there are also people who suffer from chronic insomnia. This condition may last for months or even years.
Click here if you wish to know more about the exact figures on the sleep difficulties of the Belgians.
Sleep disturbances are usually divided according to type, length or cause. The international classification distinguishes two forms: dyssomnias and parasomnias.
Sleep problems may have various causes.
After two weeks of sleep difficulties, there may be conditioning. In this case, the bed becomes a place "where one cannot manage to sleep".
A patient who has increasing difficulties falling asleep will pay particular attention to signs which he thinks will indicate that he is going to stay awake. This leads to anxiety about not being able to sleep.
The result is a vicious circle: the greater the anxiety to be unable to sleep, the more difficult it will be to fall asleep.
This condition may even lead to a chronic lack of sleep.
If sleep disturbances cause you stress, it is advisable to do something about it as soon as possible.
Changes in your daily pattern can improve things a lot. Medical treatment should be the last resort when nothing else helps.
Click here to see our main sleeping tips.