Brain Plasticity Theory: Why Do We Sleep?

Sleep has been linked to many different theories of why we sleep. One of the first ever Theron 's the inactivity theory, this describes sleep as protection from predators or ourselves. On other theory is that it is to conserve our energy, it states that sleep is so that your body uses the least amount of energy as it can. The next theory is the restorative theory, the restorative theory is nothing too new it says that the body sleeps to fix and restore body so that it could get ready for the next day. The last theory is the newest and most in depth description, it 's in the brain plasticity theory. The structure of the brain has been found to form as you sleep. It showed in an infant 's brain a baby sleeps 13 to 14 hours a day in which most of their brain forms. It will help them remember and become smarter, so how can it affect learning.

The question “why do we sleep?” is a very difficult question to answer. One way to think about why sleep is important is looking at sleep as if it was food. Food helps us feel better and also helps the human body function properly.There are many different assumptions on why we sleep.The first is that sleeping allows the body to repair cells damaged by metabolic

Sleep is needed for the brain, because during sleep, important body functions and brain activity occurs. Unfortunately today, people are forgetting the reasons why sleep is so important. Wondering about it? Here, let me tell you. The reasons are because, naps can’t replace sleeping, the physical and mental part of your body is getting affected, and not getting enough sleep is called sleep debt. This is why sleeping plays an important role in the success of our life.

Sleep is an altered state of consciousness. Consciousness, modern psychologists believe, is an awareness of our environment and us. Sleep is the tendency to think of rest. When people get tired they want to close their eyes, lie down and sleep. What is the reason we do this? The human body requires long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate. When the body sleeps it helps to grow muscle, repair tissue, and structure hormones.

It is no secret that, similar to other animals, sleep is one of the most important things for a human being’s overall health. According to Watson and Breedlove, there are four main biological/neurological functions of sleep: energy conservation—the body uses less energy when it is asleep through what is called slow-wave sleep (SWS) by doing things such as reducing body temperature and slowing respiration; niche adaptation—the environmental happenings to which organisms are adapted to; body restoration—it restores materials used during awake hours; and memory consolidation—SWS and REM sleep help the brain consolidate memories from the previous day (2012).

The average human spends about 25 years of their life sleeping. That is equal to one-third of a person’s life. So if sleep is vital and common among every single human, what do you know about it? What happens when we sleep (Attention Grabber)? Before the 1950s, scientists believed that the brain would just “shut off” when we would go to sleep. It wasn’t until the discovery of the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) state that scientists really looked into what happens in the brain while we are asleep. Studies have found that we go through a cycle of stages during sleep, and it is important for our health (Orientation to Topic). Today, I am going to inform you about what really happens when we sleep, and some issues that are found among it (Specific Purpose). In order to really understand this worldwide commonality, you need to know some background on sleep, the stages in the cycle, and some common disorders (Central Idea). I have taken a year long psychology course that went into depth on sleep psychology, and I have done extensive research on the topic to better grasp it (Statement of Credibility). I want to inform you on sleep so you can understand what happens when you close your eyes every night, and so you can detect any irregularities in your sleep pattern (Statement of Goodwill). First, I will give a background of why and how we know to sleep, then I will explain the stages in the sleep cycle, and finally I will tell you about some common disorders (Preview).

Sleep effects every living organism on the world, whether it is positive or negative it has an impact on everyone. There are many different stages of sleep and each containing its own purpose. Sleep isn’t as simple and unnecessary as many believe it to be; sleep has the power to cause many different disorders and can even cause death if a person is deprived from sleep for too long. Sleep can also effect the brain and how the brain functions on a daily basis. Sleep is an important factor of life that should not be over looked. If enough sleep occurs there are many advantages that can make one’s life more healthy and beneficial.

Sleep is one of the unavoidable daily-living activities and it is one of the most important factors contributing to a person’s health. A quality sleep is essential for the physical, cognitive and psychological well-being of a person. Learning, memory processing and maintenance of the brain are among the most important functions of sleep. In addition to maintaining the brain, sleep has important roles in controlling the

Sleep is undoubtedly one of the most essential requirements for the human body to function properly. It plays a very important role in ensuring the wellness of the human body both physically as well as mentally. In fact, the importance of sleep is clear from the fact that it helps you in maintaining a good lifestyle throughout our entire lifetime. Not only does it help maintain our physical and mental health; rather it also helps in maintaining a decent and healthy lifestyle along with ensuring safety from a number of fatal diseases. It is usually said that the mood in which you wake up is largely dependent on the type of sleep you have been in. This in itself is a big proof of the importance of sleep in our lives. While sleeping, our body finally gets its share of rest and it also gets ample time in rejuvenating from all the wear and tear that it went through during the entire day. Not only this, the body is in its own working condition when we are sleeping as this is the time when it supports the healthy functioning of the brain as well as physical attributes of our body.

“Why did you sleep in so late?” A question everyone has been asked and then abruptly replied with “I guess I was just tired.” But why were you tired? Well to be completely honest we don’t know for sure. But we do have theories on why we may sleep, including the: Inactivity Theory, Energy Conservation Theory, Restorative Theories, and the Brain Plasticity Theory. These theories are still very controversial for most scientists. Even though we don't know why, we do know it’s necessary to survive since its reflexive and it enables us able to function.

Sleep is needed for the body to repair and replenish damaged cells due to stress and ultraviolet rays, to trigger hormones that regulate mood, energy and mental acuity, and for the mind to restore alertness and memory. Adequate sleep is also necessary for the immune system to fight infections, support sugar metabolism, perform productively at work or school and maintain healthy relationships. Good sleep is not a luxury, although it has often become so in our 24/7 lifestyles; rather, it is an essential requirement for well-being, optimal functioning, and quality of life.

Sleep contributes significantly to the recuperation of bodily cells by allowing them to rest and repair. According to the American Sleep Association ASA (2007) , “Without sleep, neurons may become so depleted in energy or so polluted with the byproducts or normal cellular activities that

Sleep is a curious function in almost all living things, however, some animals don’t sleep, some hibernate, and others have a constant cycle of sleep. The field of evolutionary psychology tries to explain this phenomenon. There are several hypotheses concerning the human sleep cycle. Some suggested adaptive reason from Psychology are the following: like bears in hibernation, we sleep to save and replenish resources; we sleep in safe places to reduce risk from predators in the night; finally, we may sleep to increase cognitive function. (Psychology, 2014) However, humans are not the only species adaptions seem to evolve for adaptive reasons.

Crash Course Psychology video #9 focuses on sleep—benefits of sleep, stages of sleep, consequences of a lack of sleep, sleep conditions, and dreaming. The video defines sleep as a periodic, natural, and reversible form of near loss of total consciousness. Sleeping is different from both hibernation and comatose states. On average, humans spend one third of their lives sleeping, and during that extensive amount of time dedicated to sleep, many processes occur within the body. As the body goes to sleep, the time spent in the near total loss of consciousness is devoted to letting the body take care of itself. Recuperation is a major aspect of sleep, as time spent asleep provides an opportunity for cells to rest and repair. Sleep also supports

We have always known that we need sleep, but up until the 1950s, most people thought of sleep as a passive, dormant part of our daily lives. We now know that our brains are very active during sleep. Moreover, sleep affects our daily functioning and