Deep sleep and REM sleep are two different stages of sleep that occur in a sleep cycle. Here are the key differences between the two:
Deep Sleep:
- Also known as slow-wave sleep (SWS), it occurs in the third stage of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
- During deep sleep, electrical activity in the brain appears in long, slow waves called delta waves.
- It is the deepest stage of sleep, and it is difficult to wake up from it.
- Your breathing, heartbeat, body temperature, and brain waves are all at their lowest levels during deep sleep.
- Your muscles are extremely relaxed, and it is difficult to rouse someone awake who is in this stage.
- Deep sleep is responsible for helping process the information you encounter each day, and it supports memory, growth, and cell regeneration.
- During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and regrows tissues, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system.
REM Sleep:
- REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it is the fifth stage of a sleep cycle.
- During REM sleep, your eyes move around rapidly in a range of directions, but dont send any visual information to your brain.
- Your heartbeat and breathing quicken during REM sleep, and your brain is more active.
- You can have intense dreams during REM sleep, since your brain is more active.
- REM sleep is believed to be essential to cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and creativity.
- REM sleep is the last sleep stage before the cycle starts over, and it occurs approximately 90 minutes after you fall asleep.
- You can experience about three to five periods of REM sleep each night, and each period lasts about 10 minutes, with the last one going up to an hour...
