What is Sleep Architecture?

You may have heard this term used before, it refers to the different stages that make up our sleep. Understanding these stages of sleep help scientists and clinicians target treatments for insomnia. Sleep is divided into two stages: Non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and Rapid eye movement (REM). NREM is further divided into four stages, numbered 1-4. Stage 1 is the drift off into drowsiness and it usually lasts about 5 -10 minutes. If you were awakened at this time, you’d probably feel like you never fell asleep. In stage 2, brain waves slow and eye movements stop. You may observe some...