Day 223 of 365 - To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
Some people claim to never dream, or at least not to have any memory of doing so. I used to dream a lot. Then, in recent years, as my sleep has deteriorated, dreaming happens less often.
Our brain waves go through different stages as we move from an awake to a sleeping and, then a dreaming state. Beta waves occur during wakefulness. Alpha waves occur during awake relaxation. Theta waves occur during the early stages of sleep when the muscles and eyes relax and the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature fall. Delta waves occur during the deepest sleep. It is most difficult to be awakened during this slow wave sleep, and people may feel groggy or disoriented after being woken from this stage.
REM sleep, coming after Delta, is when active dreaming takes place. It is a stage where the brain is active, but the body is very relaxed, even temporarily paralyzed. During the night, the slow wave and REM sleep cycles alternate, with the REM periods usually becoming more prolonged.
With increasing age, total sleep time decreases, sleep becomes less efficient, and there is less slow wave sleep. Older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep and wake more often. All of these have been true for me.
As I've described in other posts about sleep issues and insomnia, there are many strategies that I've implemented to increase my chances of getting a better sleep. In the last month or so, I am finally having improved sleep, albeit on a sporadic basis. How do I know I've slept better, aside from waking less in the night? I seem to be dreaming more and remembering some dreams again. We don't get to the dreaming phase of sleep without first having gotten to the deep, slow wave sleep. At least, that is my understanding.
In addition to all my pre-bedtime routines, some of which I've been doing consistently for the past couple of years, I attribute the recent improvement to different supplements I am taking. In the last couple of months, I've been using a magnesium blend at bedtime which also contains an activated form of Vitamin B6, which can assist with sleep. (For quite some time, I've been using magnesium formulas both day and night for different reasons. I wrote a previous post about the benefits of supplementing with an easily absorbed form of magnesium.) My primary reason for using it at bedtime is for muscle relaxation. (I used to wake with leg cramps.)
Additionally, I occasionally use a herbal sleep supplement, maybe once every week or two. It was recommended by a few friends who have sworn by it's effectiveness. ( The word Dream is in the name if you want to do a search for it - or you can ask me in person.) Even though I only use the 'lite' version of this sleep aid, I find that I sleep very deeply when I take it. I prefer to use it on a night when I don't need to set an alarm, as I do tend to sleep longer than usual. Also, I've found that if the alarm wakes me on a night I have used it, I have that kind of grogginess associated with being woken from slow wave sleep. Clearly, that particular blend of herbs in that supplement does enhance that.
It feels almost strange to be dreaming more again, and to be processing the dreams I remember (usually the last ones before waking). In any case, I'm grateful to be sleeping better on some nights, to hopefully mitigate the negative impact of the many nights when I do not.
Wishing you sweet dreams, preferably every single night.
Our brain waves go through different stages as we move from an awake to a sleeping and, then a dreaming state. Beta waves occur during wakefulness. Alpha waves occur during awake relaxation. Theta waves occur during the early stages of sleep when the muscles and eyes relax and the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature fall. Delta waves occur during the deepest sleep. It is most difficult to be awakened during this slow wave sleep, and people may feel groggy or disoriented after being woken from this stage.
REM sleep, coming after Delta, is when active dreaming takes place. It is a stage where the brain is active, but the body is very relaxed, even temporarily paralyzed. During the night, the slow wave and REM sleep cycles alternate, with the REM periods usually becoming more prolonged.
With increasing age, total sleep time decreases, sleep becomes less efficient, and there is less slow wave sleep. Older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep and wake more often. All of these have been true for me.
As I've described in other posts about sleep issues and insomnia, there are many strategies that I've implemented to increase my chances of getting a better sleep. In the last month or so, I am finally having improved sleep, albeit on a sporadic basis. How do I know I've slept better, aside from waking less in the night? I seem to be dreaming more and remembering some dreams again. We don't get to the dreaming phase of sleep without first having gotten to the deep, slow wave sleep. At least, that is my understanding.
In addition to all my pre-bedtime routines, some of which I've been doing consistently for the past couple of years, I attribute the recent improvement to different supplements I am taking. In the last couple of months, I've been using a magnesium blend at bedtime which also contains an activated form of Vitamin B6, which can assist with sleep. (For quite some time, I've been using magnesium formulas both day and night for different reasons. I wrote a previous post about the benefits of supplementing with an easily absorbed form of magnesium.) My primary reason for using it at bedtime is for muscle relaxation. (I used to wake with leg cramps.)
Additionally, I occasionally use a herbal sleep supplement, maybe once every week or two. It was recommended by a few friends who have sworn by it's effectiveness. ( The word Dream is in the name if you want to do a search for it - or you can ask me in person.) Even though I only use the 'lite' version of this sleep aid, I find that I sleep very deeply when I take it. I prefer to use it on a night when I don't need to set an alarm, as I do tend to sleep longer than usual. Also, I've found that if the alarm wakes me on a night I have used it, I have that kind of grogginess associated with being woken from slow wave sleep. Clearly, that particular blend of herbs in that supplement does enhance that.
It feels almost strange to be dreaming more again, and to be processing the dreams I remember (usually the last ones before waking). In any case, I'm grateful to be sleeping better on some nights, to hopefully mitigate the negative impact of the many nights when I do not.
Wishing you sweet dreams, preferably every single night.
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