Sleep and Dreams

Everything in this world needs a rest, thats why we sleep in my opinion. While we sleep, our consciousness is reduced or absent but our brains are still active. Humans experience different stages of sleep. The first one is very light and it can be considered a transition from wakefulness to sleep; it lasts from 5-10 minutes. The brain produces thetha waves. Many people experience sudden muscle contractions followed by a sensation of fall. During the second stage the temperature of the body starts to decrease and the heart rate slows down. Extremely slow brain waves called delta waves begin to appear during stage 3. Stage 4 is very similar to stage 3 because it is considered a deep sleep with no eye movement or muscle activity. Bed-wetting and sleepwalking usually occur at the end of this stage. Most dreaming takes place during stage 5 and is known as REM, or rapid eye movement. The brain paralyzes the muscles because it is the stage where dreaming occurs and it stops people from performing the actions they have dreamt. Scientists believe that during our sleep all the information that has been stored is reviewed and piled up in the brain. I agree because I have experienced several dreams that are related with things I have thought about or done during the day, or things that have happened in the past, as well as things I plan for the future.