Some of you might be anxious to find out how you will miraculously put your baby to sleep and have her sleep through the night. I think, though, a good part of getting your child to sleep is understanding the science behind sleep. This science will especially be helpful when we talk about sleep disorders (nightmares, night terrors, sleep walking etc.) in Chapters 8 and 9.

Oftentimes we think of ourselves passing through time in two different states: asleep and awake. Our bodies, though, function a little differently.

Have you ever been listening to a lecture, speech, or opera and found yourself in a kind of hazy dream, only to be snapped awake by your head jerking or a sudden noise? You think you weren't asleep, but everything, for a moment, seemed a bit surreal. This happens in the first stages of non-REM (non Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

Non-REM Sleep:

Scientists have found that in adults we have four stages of non-REM sleep, stage IV being the deepest and most profound stage. When we begin to feel sleepy in the evening, we quickly pass through the four stages of sleep and fall into a deep sleep (or Stage IV). This is when our bodies are most relaxed and our brain waves slow down progressively through each stage. During our first nighttime sleep cycle (we'll talk more about cycles later), it takes only about 10 minutes to pass through to Stage IV of non-REM sleep. We literally fall to sleep .

In non-REM sleep our bodies go into a kind of hibernation in which we use little energy. In the first couple stages of non-REM sleep, somebody calling our name or a brusque movement can awaken us quite easily. We might even try to claim we weren't sleeping! We don't wake up bewildered or disoriented; however, we might have a strange sensation.

By the time we hit Stage IV of non-REM sleep, loud noises might not even wake us up. Our breathing is steady and our bodies are in their ultimate state of repose. To wake somebody up who is in Stage IV of non-REM is difficult, and we might have to shake them or shout. Scientists know, though, that our bodies never shut of the outer world entirely. We can, and do, respond to emergencies during our deepest sleeps, but we wake up confused, unsure of what we need to do until we clear the fog from our brains.

I've had telephone conversations with people and not remembered them because I was probably in late Stage III or Stage IV of non-REM sleep. You may have experienced something similar.

Parents experience this with their children as well. You are enjoying a late dinner at some friends' house when your child falls asleep. When you pick her up to go home, strap her in the car seat, undress her, and get her ready for bed, she might not wake up at all.

Or, if you rock your child to sleep at night, you know when she hits the deep sleep stage because it's when you can safely put her in her bed without any complaints! If you try to put a sleeping child to bed when she's in the first couple stages of non-REM sleep, she is likely to wake up and ask you, “What are you doing?”

Interestingly, in non-REM sleep though our brain waves slow down, we are still able to move our bodies. We might be confused, but we're not paralyzed. You'll hear more about this when we talking about sleep walking in Chapters 8 and 9.

REM Sleep:

Our bodies experience another state of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. After going through two non-REM sleep cycles, our bodies surface, in a way, to a REM state before going back to the non-REM. Though we are still “asleep” our bodies have changed and become more active.

Our breathing isn't as steady, and our biological rhythms are more erratic. Our minds are more active, though not necessarily rational. Signals from our brains to our muscles are blocked in the spinal cord, and we are almost in a state of paralyses. Stronger signals can make it through (this is when we experience jerky movements and twitches).

What makes REM sleep notable is the rapid eye movements. Underneath our lids, our eyes move, rapidly, back and forth. Scientists don't know why, but know that when we are experiencing REM, our heart rate, blood flow and brain activities are busy and irregular. During these cycles we dream. YES, everybody dreams! It's uncertain why it's important, but “it seems REM sleep must be important since we all dream every night .. and if we are deprived of REM sleep for several nights we will compensate by getting more REM sleep on subsequent nights (Ferber p. 26).” Have you ever had a strange beeping sound in one of your dreams and realized later that it was your alarm clock? Or maybe you dreamt about a street sweeper to find that some leaves were brushing against your window. We often incorporate sounds and smells into our dreams – especially if we don't want to wake up!

It's usually easier to wake somebody up during REM sleep, and there's more awareness of the outside world.

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"New Book Reveals Breakthrough Baby Sleep Secrets Frustrated Parents Must Know To Practically Guarantee Your Child Sleeps Peacefully Almost Every Single Night!"

Amazing Baby Sleep Secrets
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