NREM 1 (Non-Rapid Eye Movement Stage 1) is the lightest stage of sleep, marking the transition between wakefulness and rest. In this stage, your body begins to relax, breathing slows, and muscle activity decreases. It’s common to experience sudden muscle twitches or a feeling of falling during NREM 1, but dreaming is very rare in this phase. Brain activity also begins to slow, but not to the extent seen in deeper stages. While NREM 1 is essential for initiating the sleep cycle, it is not the stage where dreaming typically occurs. For vivid and emotionally complex dreams, REM sleep is the phase most closely linked.