NORMALLY when we fall asleep we quickly drift into a deep sleep. The brain then starts to produce natural chemicals called neuropeptides which move us into dreaming sleep or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. When we dream, the brain stops producing the chemicals that induce REM sleep and starts to produce natural chemicals which take us into deep sleep. When we are in deep sleep the process starts over again. Each cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes - 2 hours, and we move from deep sleep to REM sleep and back again, 3 to 4 times in a normal night’s sleep.
Whenever something interferes with the initial stage of drifting into deep sleep, we stay awake and insomnia develops. Stress, anxiety, caffeine, fear, physical exercise too close to bedtime and many other factors can all interfere with this first stage of getting off to sleep, and that is why they can cause insomnia.
Sometimes these factors are present on a consistent basis and a cycle of insomnia develops.
The pattern of an automatic initial drift into deep sleep has been interrupted and as we doze off, we wake up again instead of drifting into deep sleep. When this cycle of insomnia has developed, even when we correct the sleep disruptions, it can still be difficult to get out of the insomnia cycle and back into a regular sleep pattern.
To make matters worse, the natural response to NOT getting sufficient sleep is to WORRY about NOT getting to sleep.
When this happens, any concern about not being able to get to sleep, is felt by the survival part of the brain as fear. If we are scared, the LAST thing the survival part of the brain wants is for us to sleep. It is a bit like being out in the open, knowing that a lion is around. We may get exhausted but something will keep us awake. We may nod off but wake with a start. We might even actually have a nap but suddenly wake up and be so wide awake that there is no chance of falling asleep again. In this way, if we worry about not being awake enough to work properly the next morning, the brain interprets this worry as fear. A fear of not being able to go to sleep develops and as we start to drop off to sleep, this fear wakens us up. The deep part of the brain does not interpret the fear logically and does not realise that the fear is of NOT going to sleep. It simply is aware of the fear and that fear means DO NOT GO TO SLEEP.
This keeps us awake and maintains the cycle of insomnia.
The SnoozeDoctor bypasses the cycle of insomnia by imitating REM sleep in a safe comfortable and pleasant way. This takes individuals into the first cycle of REM sleep, thereby encouraging the brain to produce the chemicals that induce deep sleep and taking them into a normal sleep pattern.
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