The Beginner’s Guide to Sleep

Is the sleep you are getting the right kind? Understanding the stages of sleep and how to hack them

“woman sleeping on bed under blankets” by Gregory Pappas on Unsplash

There is a popular horror story that made its way around the internet about scientists who conducted an experiment. In this experiment, they prevented five subjects from sleeping for 15 days and well… things got creepy, as horror stories go. In reality, what happens to us when we don’t get sleep? In fact, what actually does happen to our body when we sleep? What are some hacks we can use to improve our sleep? We’ll explore all this and more in this Guide.

“Death was a friend, and sleep was Death’s brother.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Understanding Sleep: Types of Sleep

“woman lying under the leaves during daytime” by kevin laminto on Unsplash

While it may feel like nonexistent bliss when you fall asleep, there are actually two main types of sleep you may be having.

Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep. As you close your eyes and try to sleep, you will go through what is known as non-REM sleep. This is when your breathing and heart rate slows down as you start falling asleep. You don’t dream in NREM sleep…