By Dr. Mercola Healthy sleep consists of several stages, and you cycle through these stages four to five times during the nightly sleep cycle. As a result, you’re progressively descending into deep sleep and ascending toward lighter states of sleep several times, and this cycling is tremendously important, both from a biological and psychological perspective. During stages 1 and 2, your brain remains active as it begins the editing process where decisions are made about which memories to store and which to discard. During stages 3 and 4, you enter into a deeper, almost coma-like state, during which the actual … Continue reading The Benefits and Potential Risks