Somnium by Leo from Vermont

NE001

Night Errands presents a Leo From Vermont project.

A Side:
[stage I] Restlessness
[stage II] Apprehension
[stage III] Placidity

B Side:
[stage IV] Deep Sleep

Hello all! We are some combination of thrilled and relieved to announce that Leo from Vermont’s first vinyl release is also the first vinyl release on Night Errands! A lifelong dream realized, COVID be damned. We would like to thank everyone for bearing with us through false starts, delays, and every other annoying thing that has made this seem like a never ending series of announcements and hype posts that have gotten nowhere.

Somnium’s genesis was an attempt to be a journey through the stages of sleep, following a period of personal turmoil. Sleep is one of the most important components of mental health, and the disorders of sleep often are prelude and epilogue to events of mental illness. Living through prolonged events of sleep disturbance can be akin to living in a lucid dream, or an unending waking nightmare depending on circumstance. Sleep and sleep mechanics are of great interest to me and having my own experience with the disintegration of sleep taught me an enormous amount about not only myself but the fragility of our mental heath. It is a time and feeling state I hope to never suffer again but am glad I was able to tolerate and endure. This record is an attempt to recreate the noise in my mind, the fear in my soul, and the eventual peace that came at the end of the journey. I hope it finds you well…

Stage one of sleep, also known as the transitional phase, occurs when one finds themselves floating in and out of consciousness. During this NREM stage, you may be partially awake while your mind begins to drift off. This period of drowsiness eventually leads to a light sleep. This is also the time when the muscles jerk, followed by a falling sensation that jolts you back into consciousness. This experience is known as hypnic myoclonia.

Stage two is also a non-REM phase and is one of the lighter stages of sleep. Even though it is a light stage, the heart rate begins to slow and the core body temperature decreases. During stage two, eye movement stops and brain waves slow with the occasional burst of waves called sleep spindles. Stage two can also be characterized by the unstructured periods that alternate between muscle tone and muscle relaxation.

Stage three is where deep, slow brain waves known as Delta Waves begin to emerge. It is a transitional period between light sleep and a very deep sleep. Your blood pressure will start to drop. Stages three and four are also the stages during which you are most likely to experience sleep walking and night terrors.

Stage four sleep is where slow delta brainwaves will occur and your blood pressure will continue to drop. It’s very difficult to rouse someone from deep sleep and, if you do awaken suddenly from this stage, you may feel groggy and disorientated for quite a while. This is the sleep stage where your body will repair itself and it can last for up to an hour; during this stage hormones such as Human Growth Hormone are released and the blood supply to your muscles will increase. This stage of sleep is also extremely important for immune system and general health.

there were errands to be run, and it was the night

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