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Fascinating things your body does while you're sleeping

Every stage of sleep has a crucial role in your body's function.

Updated on March 14, 2022

woman sleeping
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Getting enough sleep is important for many reasons—it slows down the aging process, lowers anxiety levels, boosts your mood, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and much more. But what is actually going on during the night? You may be surprised to learn that your brain doesn’t shut down during sleep. It’s actually working in overdrive.

If you’re not getting enough sleep—Show More

zigging lines, stages of sleep
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Specific stages of sleep

In order to really understand the amazing things your body does while you’re snoozing, we need to break down the different stages of sleep. Clinical psychologist and sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, says you need ample amounts of each type of sleep to feel renewed and refreshed each morning.Show More

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Your body restores itself—physically

During the N3 stage of sleep (also known as stages three and four), you’re in the deepest and most restorative stage of sleep. During this time, your muscles are relaxed, your breathing is slower, your tissues grow and repair, and your energy is restored. During this stage, your body releasesShow More

sticky note, don't forget, remember, memory
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You’ll process information and store memories

If you've noticed you have trouble remembering things or concentrating at work after a restless night, you’re not imagining it. Research suggests that sleep is crucial for storing memories. It also appears as if different phases of sleep contribute to different types of memory.

Take, forShow More

sleep mask, man sleeping
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You’ll have dreams

Ever wondered when (or how) you dream crazy mixtures of story lines? The “when” is during REM sleep. While experts aren’t sure exactly why we dream, they do know that dreams typically occur during this deep sleep period. And some evidence shows you may dream during other stages of sleep, too.

EvenShow More

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The Sleep Doctor’s top sleep tips

Besides powering down your electronics a few hours before bedtime, avoiding naps and getting regular exercise, Breus has a few other sleep secrets he shares with his patients. Here are his must-do’s:

  • Keep a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends (remember that your wake-up time is even
  • Show More

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