One Night of Dreams

Phase 1 of 6 · Falling Asleep

The transition begins

Within minutes, heart rate and breathing slow down. Muscles relax and thoughts drift into the hypnagogic state between wakefulness and sleep.

The first dream fragments begin.

Phase 2 of 6 · Light Sleep (N1)

Between worlds

Brief muscle jerks accompany the transition. The brain shifts from waking alpha into the theta rhythm and still responds to outside stimuli.

Border crossings between waking and dreaming.

Phase 3 of 6 · Stable Sleep (N2)

Memory sorts itself

Sleep spindles and K-complexes flash by. In the longest phase of the night, the brain consolidates what was learned and filters what stays in memory.

What you experienced today gets sorted here.

Phase 4 of 6 · Deep Sleep (N3)

Regeneration

Slow delta waves dominate. The body repairs tissue, the immune system strengthens and growth hormone is released.

No stories yet. But the stage is being built.

Phase 5 of 6 · Dream Phase (REM)

The stage awakens

The eyes dart quickly beneath the lids while the muscles are temporarily paralysed. Dreams are most vivid here and emotions get processed.

Phase 6 of 6 · Waking Up

Wake up fresh

A night holds four to six cycles. Waking at the end of a cycle usually feels fresher than being torn out of deep sleep mid-cycle.