Insomnia Support Group
Insomnia is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. People with insomnia complain of difficulty falling or staying asleep, which results in significant impairment of daytime functioning. Insomnia is categorized as transient (shorter than one week), short-term (one to three weeks) or chronic (longer than three...
Been sleeping light more and more lately. Not quite as bad as not going to bed but not much better. I just don't understand, why does it happen? Am I not getting to the REM sleep stage or does it just feel like I'm not sleeping deep? I read the book No More Sleepless Nights last year when I was having even more trouble and it actually claimed some patients based on tests were in their deepest sleep, yet it felt like they weren't sleeping or were light sleeping. Either way light sleeping sucks and I'm not to happy about it. I needed rest so bad last night and didn't get the deep sleep I was looking for and now have to carry out my day doing heavy weight lifting before work and then unloading and stocking heavy items at work. Woo hoo....NOT!
Sleep studies generally show we consistently prioritize the deeper most physically refreshing NREM stages of sleep over REM or dream sleep. This is especially true if we engage in intense physical activity like you are describing.
During NREM, our physical bodies are replenished with energy, children grow, and we are most capable of fighting infection.
So if you are sleeping at least some, it would seem you should be benefiting from at least your deeper NREM stages.
While still important, REM seems to be a secondary priority. The exact function of REM is still not completely understood. It may help us review prior experience and consolidate memory, among other things. REM may help us purge ourselves of emotional trauma. Importantly, REM may help to in effect re-set one's emotional state or mood for a new day.
Which is why a lack of REM might make one feel a bit more grouchy or irritable the next day.
Wonder if this is what you are experiencing. Maybe you are indeed getting your NREM but perhaps not quite enough REM to awaken feeling refreshed.
Either way, by taking what measures you can during waking hours to in effect stack the deck in your favor for good sleep, you can increase the odds of awakening more refreshed. This is something we all can do at least to some degree every day.
If you are interested in learning more about your specific sleep stages, you might look into buying an actigraph. These come in a wide range of prices and functions. Zeo and Fitbit are a couple of examples.
Zeo in particular claimed it could measure REM-NREM, but apparently the company is having some financial difficulty and may no longer be available.