Sleep architecture is the basic structure of your sleeping patterns. Sleep stages represent the different kinds of sleep you undergo (there are 4), while sleep cycles refer to the cyclical patterns of sleep that compose your sleep architecture.

Sleep stages:

There are 2 kinds of sleep, rapid-eye movement sleep (REM) and nonREM sleep. In the nonREM category, sleep is broken down into 3 stages: 1, 2, and 3. Originally, nonREM also included a stage 4 category which has since been absorbed into stage 3.

Stage 1 Sleep (N1 sleep):

This early transitional stage usually occurs after wakefulness and before full-on sleep. It is shallow sleep that shows a shift in consciousness and relaxation.N1 sleep occurs for 2 to 5 percent of total sleep time.

Stage 2 Sleep (N2 sleep):

This stage of sleep is normally the most common stage of sleep. Breathing and heart rate normalize during this time, we become disengaged from our environments, and core body temperature drops. Most of us spend half our nights in stage 2 sleep.

Stage 3 Sleep – (N3 sleep, deep sleep, slow-wave sleep,Delta Sleep)

This is the stage when the brain deeply descends into unconsciousness.During this stage, the body releases growth hormone into the bloodstream which moves into the cells to help repair damage and encourage waste products to be eliminated. Younger people enjoy more delta sleep than older people. Usually, adults experience N3 sleep for 15 to 25 percent of the night.

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep— REM

Rapid-eye movement sleep (REM) is the time when we dream. It’s accompanied by muscular paralysis from below the chin. Ideally, we spend about a quarter of our nights in this stage.

Sleep cycles

The process of sleeping is a pattern of cycles which repeat over the course of the night. We do not just experience one round of N1, N2, N3, and REM sleep at night, which by itself composes a single normal sleep cycle. Instead, we have several of these cycles which phase in and out based on a variety of factors.

What is normal sleep architecture?

If we are healthy and getting good quality sleep, we can expect to enjoy 4 to 5 cycles of sleep a night that include all of the different stages of sleep. It is normal to enjoy more stage 2 and stage 3 sleep at the beginning of the night and more REM sleep at the second half of the night. Brief awakenings are also considered normal.

How is sleep architecture recorded?

When you have a sleep study, you are connected to various wires. These wires are connected to sensors which are applied to the scalp. It’s a painless procedure, and the information that these strategically placed sensors captures greatly assists sleep specialists with identifying stages of sleep as they occur.A sleep study can also be obtained by an At-Home device you wear while you sleep in your own bed. Book your study now.

The EEG

The electroencephalogram (EEG) is the device which records these brain waves by capturing their speed, shape, and frequency.Trained technologists and doctors can identify when they “stage” or “score” a sleep study. If you have an unhealthy sleep architecture, there will be different or unusual patterns, waveforms, and imbalances in staging that are identified and scored for review

Why is sleep architecture recorded?

An overnight sleep study is necessary to record sleep architecture (level 1 or 2/polysomnography); Also, sleep architecture data is important for measuring more than just the presence of sleep cycles and stages. It reveals important details like:

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It is now a well known and deadly fact that, OSA could make you a killer at the wheel. That’s because if you have sleep apnea, you’re never fully rested. And fatigue can lead to inattentiveness and even sleepiness when you’re driving, which can cause car accidents. In fact, a study showed that if you have sleep apnea, your risk of being in a car accident doubles!

Sleep apnea and dangerous driving!

When we think of dangerous driving, we often think of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. But being tired can impair driving, too, and it may affect your overall performance in other ways. Here are some of the effects of fatigue:

It’s no wonder the risk of being in an accident doubles if you have sleep apnea!

Picking up our phone before going to sleep is only worsening our sleeping issues. The highly debated topic of blue light on health raises multiple questions if it is harmful? Should you avoid it? How much exposure is considered harmful to your sleep?

What Is Blue Light?

Blue light is a color on the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. It has a very short wavelength, emits high amounts of energy, and is naturally produced by the sun. Blue light is found artificially in electronic screens and LED lighting.

Do We Need Blue Light?

Yes, in moderate amounts. According to an article written by CBC, blue light is necessary for healthy development in humans. It boosts alertness, regulates circadian rhythm, improves memory and cognitive function, and elevates mood. During the day, exposure to blue light helps us stay awake and lowers the production of melatonin, a hormone responsible for making us feel sleepy.

Does Blue Light Affect Sleep?

Yes, it surely does! While light of any kind can suppress melatonin production, the blue light emitted from electronics does so more powerfully. Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline; and these health risks are commonly associated Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

How Can You Limit Blue Light Exposure Before Bed and hence Improve Your Sleep Quality?

There is a clear connection between the sleep apnea and weight gain and it has been seen that it creates a vicious cycle where one feeds the other. This can lead to a number of other debilitating illnesses that could potentially be life-threatening

What Is Sleep Apnea?

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Weight Gain Can Lead to Sleep Apnea

While not everyone who is diagnosed with sleep apnea is overweight, increased weight gain can exacerbate and even lead to OSA. This is because excessive weight gain leads to the accumulation of fat in the neck, which in turn leads to increased pressure on the airway.

How Sleep Apnea Causes Weight Gain

Lack of regular sleep caused by OSA can cause a variety of hormonal imbalances in the body that contribute to excessive weight gain.

Leptin: When the body is sleep deprived, it leads to a reduction in a crucial hormone called leptin, which tells the body that it is full. When there is less leptin in the body, we tend to overeat because it takes longer for us to feel full.

Insulin: Lack of sleep causes the body’s cells to become resistant to insulin, which is necessary for the body to process sugars in the blood and turn them into energy.

Ghrelin: WhenStudies have shown that when we are sleep deprived, the body produces more ghrelin, which is a hormone that stimulates our appetite.

Cortisol: makes you crave sugary foods when you are stressed.

The combination of increased sleep disturbances caused by weight gain, in turn, leads to more weight gain, and then you are lost in a vicious cycle.

Break Out of the Vicious Cycle

If you find yourself caught in the cycle of weight gain and increasing problems with your sleep, there are a few things that you can do to help break yourself out of it.

Gaining weight can cause you to sleep less, sleeping less can make you eat more, and we all know what happens when we eat more! This vicious cycle can turn into a nightmare. But there is hope: The cycle can be broken, starting with a proper night’s sleep.

Will CPAP treatment help with weight loss?

Yes definitely ! A three-month study of CPAP users published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) showed a marked reduction in body mass index, as well as a mild to moderate decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. That’s good enough reason for people with OSA to use their CPAP device every night!

Is it okay to stop CPAP treatment after losing weight?

Treating OSA and restoring sleep will obviously have an impact on your health and weight. Your daytime sleepiness will reduce/stop and you will feel much less drowsy and fatigued. You’ll want to be more active, and with your new energy you might take up exercise, which will support your weight loss. And the hunger hormones will start working normally.

Still, even if you snore less and feel that you no longer suffer from OSA, you should never stop CPAP without checking with your doctor first or our team at www.booksleepstudy.com. That’s because there is no guarantee that your sleep apnea will be completely eliminated. Although being overweight is a cause of sleep apnea, sometimes other factors are present too – such as ear, nose and throat abnormalities or facial abnormalities. If these factors are present, sleep apnea will not necessarily disappear with weight loss.

The perfect pillow under your head could be the secret of your sound night’s sleep. Your sleeping position and coexisting conditions like back pain, OSA, GERD would usually determine the right pillow for you.

First and foremost, determine your sleep position type. We change positions frequently when we sleep, so begin by asking which position are you usually in when you wake up?

If you suffer from the following medical conditions, we mention below the pillow types suited for you.

If you have trouble falling asleep, certain exercises and relaxation techniques can help you quiet your mind and calm your body.There’s no one perfect exercise that will enhance your sleep—any type of movement is better than none—but these some of these specific activities are proven to help you get better sleep.

Cardio /aerobicexercises

Activities that increase your heart rate, such as running, brisk walking, cycling, and swimming, have been shown to improve sleep and battle insomnia. Even small bouts, such as 15 minutes, may help, though the goal should be to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity) aerobic exercise each week.

Strength Training

Building muscle has been shown to improve the quality of sleep, and it can also help you fall asleep faster and wake up less frequently throughout the night.So exercises likecurls, triceps, dips, squats, lunges, shoulder presses, bicep, calf raises, sit-ups, and push-ups that will make you stronger should be tried for a better sleep.

Yoga

Yoga’s relaxing poses and stretches, as well as the calming breathing exercises that accompany them, may be especially helpful if stress is what’s keeping you from falling asleep.

Breathing exercises

Close your eyes and notice your breathing. Turn all your attention to your natural breathing pattern and feel the air enter and leave your nose or mouth. Survey your body for any tension, and as you exhale, feel the tension leave that part of your body. If your mind wanders to another worry or thought, let it go and gently redirect your attention back to your breath.

Guided imagery

The idea in this exercise is to focus your attention on an image or story, so that your mind can let go of worries or thoughts that keep you awake.Get into a comfortable position in bed. Close your eyes and relax. Begin to visualize a scene, memory, or story that you find calming. The key is to find something that allows you to focus your attention and let go of other thoughts.

Turn off electronics

and rotate your clock away from you. Try not to worry if you can’t fall asleep, and remind yourself that your body will eventually take over and help you sleep.If you are awake for more than 20 minutes in bed, move to a different part of the house (one without bright lights). Do something relaxing for a while, until you begin to feel tired and come back to bed.

How does sleep apnea come between you and your partner?

For couples, the loud snoring and restless sleep caused by OSA can lead to less quality time in the bedroom. This is because one partner suffers through the noise while the other remains restless all night long. On top of that, studies have shown that sleep apnea can actually cause erectile dysfunction in men – and women with sleep apnea have lower libido, too!

The proven link between sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction.

Researchers have shown that sleep apnea could cause erectile dysfunction (ED). It’s not clear why this happens: some scientists have reported decreased testosterone in men with sleep apnea, but other problems related to OSA (including depression and decreased alertness) may also play a role.

Treating sleep apnea can improve libido for women, too.

Sleep apnea can also be an issue for women! Fortunately, treatment with CPAP can help rekindle the flame. In a study published in 2018, the researchers reported that women using CPAP experienced a greater improvement in sexual quality of life compared to those who didn’t.So if you’re a woman who snores, its time to get it tested now. CPAP might spark a positive change in your bedroom life!

How continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can tame OSA and improve your love life

Treating sleep apnea offers many benefits. After just a few weeks of therapy, most patients notice a boost in mood,higher energy levels and increased stamina. These improvements alone can have a positive impact on your love life. The way to find out is to get tested for sleep apnea. We at www.booksleepstudy.com offersimple, fast and effective home testing.

So what’s the next step?

Treating your OSA will make the bedroom a peaceful environment for your partner (especially if you are prone to loud snoring) and you. Most of all, it can lead to a happier and more energized relationship in more ways than one.