What Is Core Sleep? Your Guide To A Better Sleep

Glance At The Topic

• The most important sleep cycle stage- “Core Sleep” is significantly required for essential bodily functions.
• About 25% of the core sleep is normal for people with age 18 to 60 years.
• The contribution of core sleep to human health includes physical healing, immune system strengthening, hormone regulation, and healthy heart health.
• The factors affecting it may include age, stress, irregular sleep schedule, alcohol, medical conditions, etc.
• But some preventive measures are helpful such as stress management, proper sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, etc.
• However, if preventive measures fail, seeking professional help is a must!

Just like a good quality of sleep, quantity also needs to be a high priority! An adequate amount of sleep is necessary for your physical as well as mental health. Each stage of the sleep cycle distinctly impacts your sleep. And “core sleep” has a major role in the improvement of your overall well-being. Curious to know, “What is core sleep”? Well, close sleep emerges as the most critical stage of the sleep cycle that is significantly needed by the body to properly carry out its vital functions. It contributes to several health benefits like physical healing, long-term memory, mood regulation, and hormonal balance. Having a basic idea of core sleep is very crucial for maintaining a healthy sleep pattern. So, this blog will guide you through all the stages of the sleep cycle, what core sleep is, the science associated with it, its health benefits the factors impacting it, and possible tips to improve it. Plus, we will also learn about deep sleep and discuss its comparison with core sleep. Read on!

What Are The Stages Of Sleep?

There are two sleep cycles-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and Non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement). Your night starts in a non-REM sleep cycle which is followed by a short period of REM sleep cycle. A sleep cycle begins and returns after an interruption every 90 minutes. Let’s take a comprehensive look at all the different stages of sleep!

Non-REM Sleep

Drowsiness (Stage 1): This is the start of the sleep cycle where you begin falling asleep. It generally lasts for a short period of about 1 to 7 minutes and constitutes around 2%-5% of the total sleep cycle. During this stage:

• Body functions such as eye movements, respiration, and heartbeat start slowing down.
• Muscles begin to relax with just some twitches.
• Brain waves calm down gradually.

Light Sleep (Stage 2): In this stage, you move to a more stable sleep state and it’s challenging for you to become awake. It lasts for about 10-25 minutes at the beginning of the cycle and tends to increase with every next cycle. This stage constitutes approximately 45%-55% of the total sleep time. During this stage:

• All the systems of the body begin to slow down and relax.
• The temperature of the body falls.
• Eye movements generally stop.
• Brain waves slow down (but you have a few, sudden storms of activity)

Deep Sleep (Stages 3 and 4): These stages of sleep are the deepest and most restorative which occur within the first hours of sleep every night. Stage 3 remains for some minutes and counts around 3%-8% of total sleep time. On the other hand, stage 4 lasts for about 20-40 minutes during the initial sleep time and constitutes approximately 10%-15% of total sleep time. At this stage, it is very hard to wake up. During both the stages:

• As muscles relax, breathing and heartbeat become very slow.
• Brain waves extremely slow down.
• It becomes tough to wake up even in an environment with loud noises.

REM Sleep

REM Sleep is stage 5 or you can say the first REM sleep stage that occurs after moving through all the stages of non-REM. It occurs for approximately 90 minutes. According to a study, infants can spend around 50% of their total sleep time in this stage. During this stage:

• Eyes move quickly from one side to another.
• Dreaming happens.
• Heart rate speeds up closely to the wakeful state.
• The breathing process becomes more rapid and even irregular from time to time.
• Limbs might become unable to move or act.

What Is Core Sleep?

Well, Core sleep is a crucial and uninterrupted duration of sleep that the body requires to function significantly. It plays a key role in maintaining physical health and cognitive function. Wondering “What is the core sleep stage”? This type of sleep encompasses deep sleep stages of the non-REM sleep cycle that includes stages 3 and 4 and the REM sleep cycle. What percentage of core sleep is normal? The study says adults with ages 18 to 60 years require 7 hours of sleep or above it each night and of this, 25% counts for core sleep.

What Does Science Say About Core Sleep?

When we understand the science behind the significant role of core sleep, it reveals the importance of core sleep in supporting various physiological processes. Well, core sleep helps your brain and body to move through all the different stages of each sleep cycle which are REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycles. Want to know, “What happens during core sleep”? Well, during the stage of core sleep, the body undergoes physical healing, memory strengthening, mood regulation, and brain function improvement. Additionally, the brain engages in crucial activities that are critical for mental health, learning, and emotional health. This kind of sleep cycle is specifically important as it significantly enhances the brain’s memory recollection ability and problem-solving skills. Achieving a balanced core sleep ensures a healthy, refreshing sleep routine.

What Are The Benefits Of Core Sleep?

Core sleep greatly contributes to overall health in many ways:

• Enhances physical healing: Core sleep allows the body to regenerate and repair. During core sleep, tissue repairs, the immune system strengthens, and muscles heal from everyday activities. This, in turn, promotes overall physical health.
• Improves brain function: Core sleep helps improve brain functions such as learning, decision-making, memory strengthening, and problem-solving. It also enhances mental clarity and creativity.
• Strengthen the immune system: Core sleep contributes to the production of cytokines which are proteins that can fight off inflammation and infections, thus, protecting the immune system of the body against illnesses.
• Regulates hormones: Core sleep manages the release of hormones in response to stress, growth, metabolism, and appetite control.
• Manages mood: Enough amount of core sleep is connected with emotional health. It helps handle mood by holding the brain’s neurotransmitters in balance and prevents stress, anxiety, and irritability.
• Promotes heart health: Core sleep promotes a healthy heart by preventing stress on the circulatory system and maintaining normal blood pressure.

What Is Deep Sleep?

Also called slow-wave sleep, Deep sleep is stage 3 of the non-REM sleep cycle where your brain waves and body slow down. It is the most refreshing and deepest stage of the sleep cycle which occurs within the initial hours of sleeping. During this stage of the sleep cycle, your body goes through different crucial processes such as energy restoration, immune system strengthening, hormone regulation, and tissue repair and growth.

What Are The Benefits Of Deep Sleep?

Deep sleep contributes to your overall health in several ways that may include:

• Helps with tissue growth and repair: Deep sleep helps the body repair cells, muscles, and tissues. During this stage, the body releases Human Growth Hormone which eases the rejuvenation and repair of tissues.
• Boosts immune functions: Deep sleep has a major role in strengthening the body’s immune system. During this stage of the sleep cycle, the body produces cytokines which are the types of proteins, fighting against stress, infections, and inflammation.
• Strengthens memory: The study says deep sleep is essential for consolidating (strengthening) memories and adding new information to long-term memory. During this stage, cognitive function, problem-solving, and learning abilities improve.
• Balances hormone: Deep sleep controls the release of different hormones such as insulin (regulates blood sugar levels), cortisol (stress hormone), and leptin (regulates appetite) and prevents them from disrupting your sleep.

Next, let’s compare core sleep and deep sleep as both are the different aspects of the sleep cycle.

What Is Core Sleep vs Deep Sleep?

Though core sleep and deep sleep are correlated to each other, the concepts of both sleep stages are different. If you are wondering, “What is better core or deep sleep”, you should know that both play a great role in achieving optimal health and well-being. Let’s understand what is core sleep vs deep sleep in detail:

• Scope: Core sleep incorporates deep sleep (stage 4) of the non-REM cycle and REM sleep cycle. On the other hand, deep sleep is a separate sleep stage that comes under the non-REM sleep cycle.
• Focus: Core sleep mainly focuses on both physical and mental processes such as repair of muscle and tissue, improvement of mood, and strengthening of memory, whereas deep sleep promotes only physical health like promoting the immune system, enhancing tissue growth and repair, and balancing the hormones in the body.
• Percentage: Typically, core sleep constitutes around 50% of the total sleep time of a healthy adult while deep sleep counts about 20% to 40% of the total sleep time.

What Are The Factors Impacting Core Sleep?

Several factors can contribute to core sleep which may include:

• Stress: Constant stress can trigger your body to release cortisol, a stress hormone that prevents your brain from calming down and falling asleep.
• Age: As a person ages, the natural quantity of core sleep reduces. On the other hand, both light stages which are stages 1 and 2 of the non-REM sleep cycle and REM sleep cycle increase.
• Irregular sleeping schedule: The nature of humans is bound to specific habits and sleep is also included in it. Sleeping and waking up at odd times each day can confuse the biological clock of the body, which, in turn, makes it tough to easily fall asleep.
• Night Screen time: The blue light radiated from mobile phones or any other electronic devices can stop the production of a hormone called melatonin. Well, melatonin is responsible for the maintenance of the sleep-wake cycle, and a decrease in its amount can lead to difficulty in sleeping.
• Medical conditions: Some medical issues like sleep disorders or chronic pain can disturb regular sleeping patterns, disallowing you to gain a deep stage of the sleep cycle.
• Caffeine and alcohol: Caffeine and alcohol both might give you an energy boost and drowsy feeling respectively, but they may impact your core sleep cycle. Instead, have light foods that are easily digestible and help promote good sleep quality.
• Uncomfortable sleep space: Too noisy, cool, or hot sleep environment can be problematic, disturbing your sleep cycle throughout the night.

What Are The Effective Tips To Improve Core Sleep?

The following are the effective measures you can implement to enhance your core sleep:

• Follow the proper sleep schedule: Follow the planned sleep schedule. You can do it by sleeping and waking up every day at the exact time. Doing this will balance the body’s natural biological clock.
• Manage your stress: Consider performing some effective relaxation exercises that may include mild stretching, deep breathing, yoga, and intense meditation. This will benefit in reducing stress, thus, allowing you to sleep better throughout the night.
• Create a relaxing space for sleep: Make sure your room is full of darkness, quiet, and normally at a cool temperature as it will help calm down your mind. Moreover, use relaxing and high-quality mattresses and pillows to provide the right support to your body.
• Avoid electronic devices at sleeping time: Do not use mobile phones or any electronic devices or gadgets before you go to sleep, at least for about 1 hour.
• Limit the use of alcohol and caffeinated beverages: Do not consume alcohol in excess, particularly, in the evening or before you go to sleep. Also, limit the use of caffeinated beverages like coffee, especially in the evening time.
• Seek help from experts if required: If you have tried all the appropriate sleep routines and are still struggling to fall asleep, seek help from a licensed doctor. They will help find out the potential underlying health problems.

Summing Up

You learn in this article “What is core sleep”. Prioritizing your sleep is generally a great investment for your overall health. By having a clear idea of the sleep cycle and the significance of core sleep and deep sleep, you can enhance the power of your sleep. In addition, by recognizing the factors affecting your core sleep and implementing the tips to improve sleep quality, you can achieve better core sleep. This way, you can experience the physical and mental benefits of a full night’s sleep.

Frequently Asked Questions