Your Brain and Sleep

As the new school year begins in the United States, so do the long nights and all-nighters for students around the globe. But what role does sleep play? And how exactly does it impact our brains and bodies?

Stages of Sleep

In the first stage of sleep your brain transitions to a state of rest, slowing your brainwaves from the initial wakefulness pattern. Your muscles will also begin to relax as you slip into slumber. The second stage involves a drop in temperature, moving to slower breathing and heart rate. The third stage is the last non-REM stage, a state of deep sleep which is necessary to wake up refreshed in the morning, and where everything slows to its lowest point.

The fourth stage is known as REM sleep, which happens around 90 minutes after falling asleep. This stage is where you dream and where your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure increase. REM sleep first happens for about 10 minutes, and then increases with each following cycle.

What Happens?

A team of Switzerland-based scientists conducted a study which monitored an individual’s brain activity during sleep. Their results showed that synapses, or connections between neurons to pass information, return to their normal state during sleep – rather than staying at their peak activity. This impacts the brain's ability to create new connections between its neurons, also known as its neuroplasticity, which is also involved in learning and adapting to new stimuli and environments. 

Another study from 2017 monitored the individuals’ brain activity using an electroencephalogram (EEG). This study captured sleep spindles, or spikes in brain activity which are connected to memory and learning. Their final findings suggested that non-REM sleep's purpose was more correlated with suppressing information rather than learning new things. 

Overall, these various stages of sleep are essential for the health of your brain, and allowing it to reset and clean itself for the next day. Getting enough of the right quality sleep is crucial for your brain health, and memory for acing that next test!

Citations

“Good Quality Sleep Is Crucial to a Healthy Brain.” Welcome to Lehigh Valley Health Network, 16 Nov. 2022, www.lvhn.org/news/good-quality-sleep-crucial-healthy-brain. 

“The Neuroscience of Sleep.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-you-sleep#Sleep,-memory,-and-learning.

“Sleep and the Brain.” Sleepopolis, 21 Mar. 2023, sleepopolis.com/education/sleep-and-the-brain/.