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Sleep Stages – What Happens to Us at Night

Sleep Stages – What Happens to Us at Night

Every sleep phase—from falling asleep to waking up—is very important for our recovery. The body’s three main sleep phases include light sleep, deep sleep, and dream sleep—also known as REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, during which eye movement is particularly intense due to dream experiences.

 

The Problem

People who go to bed in the evening without any complaints and wake up in the morning with stiffness and pain wonder where the cause of these unpleasant effects lies.

Depending on the duration of sleep, our body goes through various sleep phases approximately four to six times per night. Such a sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes. In total, we spend about 3 to 3½ hours of the night in deep sleep. The key point is that we hardly move at all during deep sleep. So we lie completely still in bed for a long time. If we lie and sleep in a distorted position during this time (on a mattress that is too hard or sagging), our muscles begin to tense up. This is a normal reflex. If we were awake, we would quickly react with a relaxing movement or a change in our lying position. However, since we are in deep sleep, the tension in your muscles becomes stronger and stronger. The more tension builds up, the greater the pain becomes. The increased pain, in turn, intensifies the tension. The result is neck, shoulder, or back stiffness at night or in the morning.

 

Tips:

  • Choose a flexible mattress, i.e., as soft as possible in the shoulder area, supportive in the waist area, and softer again in the buttocks/pelvis area
  • Have your body measurements taken, because your body proportions are more important than your weight
  • Sleep on your side; this is the most relaxed position
  • Use an individually adjustable pillow that can adapt to your mattress
  • A mattress should be replaced after 10 years (for hygiene reasons, sagging, and loss of support, etc.)
  • Seek advice from a certified sleep consultant who is knowledgeable in anatomy and health
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