Stages of Sleep Usually sleepers pass through five stages: 1, 2, 3, 4 and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. These stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1. A complete sleep cycle takes an average of 90 to 110 minutes. Stage 1 is light sleep where you drift in and out of sleep and can be awakened easily. In stage 2, eye movement stops and brain waves become slower with only an occasional burst of rapid brain waves. Slow wave sleep comes mostly in the first half of the night, REM in the second half. In the REM period, breathing becomes more rapid, irregular and shallow, eyes jerk rapidly and limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. Infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep. As sleep research is still a relatively young field, scientists did not discover REM sleep until 1953 when new machines were developed to monitor brain activity. The brain waveform during REM has low amplitudes and high frequencies, just like the waking state. Circadian Cycles and Sleep
Darkside cartoons | Funny Emails 02.22.2010 - An afternoon nap markedly boosts the brain’s learning capacity If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don’t roll your eyes. New research from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brain power. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter. Students who napped (green column) did markedly better in memorizing tests than their no-nap counterparts. (Courtesy of Matthew Walker) Conversely, the more hours we spend awake, the more sluggish our minds become, according to the findings. “Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap,” said Matthew Walker, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and the lead investigator of these studies. In the recent UC Berkeley sleep study, 39 healthy young adults were divided into two groups — nap and no-nap.
Understanding Sleep: Deep Sleep, REM Sleep, Cycles, Stages, and The power of sleep Many of us try to sleep as little as possible. There are so many things that seem more interesting or important than getting a few more hours of sleep, but just as exercise and nutrition are essential for optimal health and happiness, so is sleep. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! Understanding sleep Sleep isn’t exactly a time when your body and brain shut off. The good news is that you don't have to choose between health and productivity. Myths and Facts about Sleep Myth 1: Getting just one hour less sleep per night won’t affect your daytime functioning. Myth 2: Your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules. Myth 3: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue. How many hours of sleep do you need? REM sleep
What is Bipolar Disorder? – Mozilla Firefox Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness with recurring episodes of mania and depression that can last from one day to months. This mental illness causes unusual and dramatic shifts in mood, energy and the ability to think clearly. Cycles of high (manic) and low (depressive) moods may follow an irregular pattern that differs from the typical ups and downs experienced by most people. The symptoms of bipolar disorder can have a negative impact on a person’s life. Damaged relationships or a decline in job or school performance are potential effects, but positive outcomes are possible. Two main features characterize people who live with bipolar disorder: intensity and oscillation (ups and downs). More than 10 million Americans have bipolar disorder. As people become familiar with their illness, they recognize their own unique patterns of behavior. Individuals who live with bipolar disorder also benefit tremendously from taking responsibility for their own recovery.
Chico Xavier Francisco Cândido Xavier, conhecido como Chico Xavier (1910 - 2002). Espírita brasileiro. Cerca de 265 frases e pensamentos: Chico Xavier A gente pode morar numa casa mais ou menos, numa rua mais ou menos, numa cidade mais ou menos, e até ter um governo mais ou menos. A gente pode dormir numa cama mais ou menos, comer um feijão mais ou menos, ter um transporte mais ou menos, e até ser obrigado a acreditar mais ou menos no futuro. A gente pode olhar em volta e sentir que tudo está mais ou menos... O que a gente não pode mesmo, nunca, de jeito nenhum... Senão a gente corre o risco de se tornar uma pessoa mais ou menos. Chico Xavier A sua irritação não solucionará problema algum... CONFIE SEMPRE Não percas a tua fé entre as sombras do mundo. Que eu continue com vontade de viver, mesmo sabendo que a vida é,em muitos momentos, uma lição difícil de ser aprendida. Oração Nossa Senhor ensina-nos a orar, sem esquecer o trabalho. A sofrer, sem magoar, seja quem for. A desculpar, sem condições.
Brain Chemicals That Cause Sleep Paralysis Discovered | REM Sleep Disorder During the most dream-filled phase of sleep, our muscles become paralyzed, preventing the body from acting out what's going on in the brain. Now, researchers have discovered the brain chemicals that keep the body still in sleep. The findings could be helpful for treating sleep disorders, the scientists report Wednesday (July 18) in The Journal of Neuroscience. The brain chemicals kick into action during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a phase that usually begins about 90 minutes into a night's rest. This paralysis keeps people still even as their brains are acting out fantastical scenarios; it's also the reason people sometimes experience sleep paralysis, or the experience of waking up while the muscles are still frozen. The chemistry of sleep Exactly how the muscles are paralyzed has been a mystery, however. So University of Toronto researchers Patricia Brooks and John Peever cast a wider net. Treating sleep disorders
Sacred Centers - The Chakras Portal - Pathways for Personal and The Chakra System originated within the yoga traditions of India, most specifically the Tantric period, circa 500 – 1000 AD. Therefore, yoga is an ideally designed practice to not only train your mind and body, but to access your chakras. The word yoga means yoke or union, and one can see how the chakra system represents the structural aspect of that yoke — the means through which mind and body, mortal and divine, connect. The postures listed below are grouped according to chakra. Seane Corn recently told me…”Anodea, you have had a huge influence on me personally as a student and the impact it has had on me as a teacher. We have two audio recordings of yoga practices: The Chakra Balancing Kit includes a set of seven chakra based sun salutations, with variations for each chakra as a morning practice. You may also be interested in Anodea’s Chakra Yoga Teacher Training Manual. Chakra One: Muladhara Focus: Noticing gravity, and moving SLOWLY and deeply to really feel all aspects of the body
40 Pictures of Puppy Dogs November 29, 2010 | 399 Comments » | Topics: Cute, Dog, Pictures Lucid Dreaming Tips - How to Lucid Dream - Tips for Lucid Dreaming / Lucid Dreams The Six Basic Steps There are many techniques and methods that you can use for inducing lucid dreams, but there is an underlying process behind most, if not all of them. I have broken this underlying process down into six basic steps to serve as a foundation for your lucid dream training. In case you are wondering how long it will take for you to have your first one, just follow through with the steps and have faith that you will have one. 1) Doing the Mental Prep-Work 2) Increasing dream recall 3) Keeping a dream journal 4) Becoming familiar with your Dreams 5) Adding Awareness to your Waking Consciousness 6) Linking your Awareness to your Dreams Step One) Doing the Mental Prep-Work This step involves setting up the right mental foundation and building a mental framework that will maximize your success. Here are four key questions that you need to ask yourself. "Do you think you can do this?" "Do you think dreams are important?" "Do you really want to have lucid dreams?" So be positive. 1.)