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Slow-wave sleep (SWS), often referred to as deep sleep, is the third stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), where electroencephalography activity is characterised by slow delta waves. [ 2 ] Slow-wave sleep usually lasts between 70 and 90 minutes, taking place during the first hours of the night. [ 3 ]
Polysomnogram demonstrating slow-wave sleep. High amplitude EEG is highlighted in red. Slow-wave sleep (SWS), also known as Stage 3, is characterized by a lack of movement and difficulty of arousal. Slow-wave sleep occurring in both hemispheres is referred to as bihemispheric slow-wave sleep (BSWS) and is common among most animals.
The optimal nap duration is around 10–20 minutes, as researchers have proven that it takes at least 30 minutes to enter slow-wave sleep, the deepest period of sleep. [46] Napping too long and entering the slow wave cycles can make it difficult to awake from the nap and leave one feeling unrested. This period of drowsiness is called sleep inertia.
During slow wave sleep, the cortex generates brief periods of activity and inactivity at 0.5–4 Hz, resulting in the generation of the delta waves of slow wave sleep. During this period, the thalamus stops relaying sensory information to the brain, however it continues to produce signals, such as spindle waves, that are sent to its cortical ...
The sleep cycle is an oscillation between the slow-wave and REM (paradoxical) phases of sleep. It is sometimes called the ultradian sleep cycle , sleep–dream cycle , or REM-NREM cycle , to distinguish it from the circadian alternation between sleep and wakefulness .
Sleepwalking occurs during slow-wave sleep (N3) of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM sleep) cycles. It typically occurs within the first third of the night when slow-wave sleep is most prominent. [8] Usually, it will occur once in a night, if at all. [6]
NREM sleep can be further classified into NREM stage 1, 2 and 3. The previously considered 4th stage of NREM sleep has been included within stage 3; this stage is also called slow wave sleep (SWS) and is the deepest stage of sleep. [1]
NREM parasomnias are arousal disorders that occur during stage 3 (or 4 by the R&K standardization) of NREM sleep—also known as slow wave sleep (SWS). They are caused by a physiological activation in which the patient's brain exits from SWS and is caught in between a sleeping and waking state.