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Dr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State

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The Biological Basis of a Perfect Night's Sleep

Sleep is different from wakefulness and has distinct stages: non-REM and REM sleep. Non-REM sleep includes stage 1, a dozing state with a fast gamma rhythm, and stage 2, a transitional state between wakefulness and deep slow-wave sleep. Deep slow-wave sleep is characterized by big, slow waves that clean the brain and restore the body. REM sleep, characterized by rapid eye movement, is where active dreams occur. A perfect night's sleep consists of cycling through these stages every 90 minutes, with about four or five REM sleep periods. The ideal duration for a perfect night's sleep is seven and a half to eight hours. Research has shown that individuals in a sleep-deprived state initially sleep longer but eventually stabilize at around eight hours and 15 minutes. It is not possible to oversleep as observed in a study where participants averaged eight hours and 15 minutes of sleep when given the opportunity to sleep for 12 hours every day.

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