"No Sleep Till Long Beach"

Do you have moments where you feel like you could go to sleep at
any time of day? How about an experience with insomnia? Have you
ever used sleep aides to help you dose off? Kevin, Lo and Sully
discuss their sleep cycles, why they use sleep aides on a night
basis and more in "No Sleep Till Long Beach".

Lo is back home from heading to Long Beach, NY and she joins the
boys to talk about the best thing ever, SLEEP! She uses her Apple
Watch to track her sleep habits and how much REM sleep she gets.
Kevin talks about the stages of sleep -

Stage 1
Stage one of sleep, also known as the transitional phase, occurs
when one finds themselves floating in and out of consciousness.
During this NREM stage, you may be partially awake while your mind
begins to drift off.

This period of drowsiness eventually leads to a light sleep. This
is also the time when the muscles jerk, followed by a falling
sensation that jolts you back into consciousness. This experience
is known as hypnic myoclonia. After winding down in stage one, your
sleep cycle will slip you into stage two.

Stage 2
Almost 50% of the time spent asleep over the course of the night is
spent in stage two. Stage two is also a non-REM phase and is one of
the lighter stages of sleep. Even though it is a light stage, the
heart rate begins to slow and the core body temperature
decreases.

During stage two, eye movement stops and brain waves slow with the
occasional burst of waves called sleep spindles. Stage two can also
be characterized by the unstructured periods that alternate between
muscle tone and muscle relaxation.

Stages 3 & 4
Stages three and four are characterized as the deep stages of
sleep, and are often the hardest to wake up from. If you try to
wake someone up when they are in stages three or four, they will
most likely be disoriented and groggy for minutes after they awake.
Stages three and four are often grouped together because they are
the periods of slow wave sleep (SWS).

Slow wave sleep is a NREM phase of sleep, and is the deepest sleep
that your body enters throughout the night. It is called slow wave
sleep because the brain waves slow to what are known as delta waves
with the occasional faster wave. As the body moves from stage three
to stage four, the number of delta waves increase and the faster
waves decrease.

In addition to the deep sleep caused by the delta waves, blood
pressure drops even further, and breathing becomes deeper, slower,
and more rhythmic. During slow wave sleep there is no eye movement,
and the body becomes immobile.
However, even though there is no muscle movement, the muscles still
have the ability to function.

Stages three and four of sleep are extremely rejuvenating to the
body. During slow wave sleep, hormones are released that aid in
both growth and appetite control. The growth hormones help to
replenish muscles and tissues that were exerted over the course of
the day, and the appetite controlling hormones help limit feelings
of excessive hunger the following day.

These hormones are essential to the development of a strong body
and help control unnecessary over-eating. In addition to the
release of critical hormones, the blood flow to the muscles
increases, providing restorative oxygen and nutrients.

Stage 5
Stage five is the only stage of rapid eye movement (REM), and is
unlike any other sleep phase because the brain is bursting with
activity. Most adults spend about 20% of sleep in REM, while
infants spend almost 50%. During non-REM sleep, the mind rests
while the body heals, but in REM sleep the mind energizes itself
while the body is immobile.

REM sleep is called as such because the eyes dart in various
directions while the limbs and muscles are temporarily paralyzed.
Breathing becomes shallower and irregular while the heart rate and
blood pressure rise from the levels they were in previous
stages.

Most dreaming takes place in stage five as a result of heightened,
desynchronized brain waves, almost similar to being awake. This
stage of sleep revitalizes the brain, supporting sharp and alert
daytime function.

Individuals begin waking up at the end of stage 5. Upon waking up,
an individual’s core body temperature begins to rise in order to
prepare the body for the activity of the day ahead.

If you're having any issues sleeping, the crew gives some great
alternatives to help get you that good nights rest you need. Enjoy
the episode, we're going to nap!