Contradictory Perspective On The Value Of Sleep

“On average, most college students get 6 - 6.9 hours of sleep per night” (“Sleep Rocks! ...get More of It!”). Sleep is something that not many people think about, whether they do or not doesn’t really matter; what matters is that sleep is a big part of everyday life that is required to live a sustainable life. While most people believe sleep to be a time for your body to rest, actually it is when one’s body is working the hardest (“Why Do We Need Sleep?”). Sleep is no longer something that comes at the end of the day, but it is a vital part of everyday.

Sleep is an extremely interesting phenomenon in which the mind almost completely departs from the usual realm of consciousness. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness and a decreased ability to react to stimuli where we become less aware of our surroundings. However, it is more easily reversed than being in hibernation or a coma. It is a function that has been extensively researched by many. After all, we would not have evolved a mechanism that forces us to spend one-third of our lives sleeping unless sleep did us some good. What good does it do tough? Over the years, many theories have been proposed as to why we need sleep. The simplest is that it saves energy. An individual’s energy expenditure and demand is reduced during the day,

Morgan Manella in the article “Study: A Third of U.S. Adults Don’t Get Enough Sleep” argues that sleep deprivation can have a negative effect in someone’s health. Manella supports her argument by presenting statistics that shows how adults that don’t enough sleep have chronic conditions. The author’s purpose is to raise awareness so that people will sleep more often and have a better health condition.

This paper explores five different sources on the changes in sleep over the adults' lifespan. There are multiple explanations as to the changes in sleep from infancy to the older adult, and through a series of conducted experiments a further explanation is given. Judd (2010) explores pediatric sleep issues that impact children from infancy to teen years. Following Judd's claims, Wrzus, Wagner, and Riediger (2014) correlate night-to-night sleep variations and the affective well-being among adolescents and adults. Wilckens, Woo, Kirk, Erickson, and Wheeler (2014) study the importance of sleep in young adults through multiple cognitive tasks. Millman (2012) points out that at a later age, sleep becomes fragmented due to drop in slow wave sleep. To sum it up, English (n.d.) summarizes the sleep changes throughout life. Therefore, this research focuses on the different changes within the adults' sleep stages.

Sleep is undeniably a necessity for humans and other animals alike. At the beginning of each day, our bodies awake like clockwork in conjunction with the rising sun. Then, at day’s end, they begin to wind down into sleep until the morning. While there certainly may be plenty of mysteries revolving sleep that have yet to been unraveled, from all the way up until now and for centuries to come, it is evident that sleep should hold priority in the schedules of all people. Yet, despite all of this being true, sleep is consistently being taken for granted. And, it is not an overgeneralization to say that many people have, at least once, trudged through a late night as many people have. Even to the point of the night no longer being considered “a

Sleep is a curious occurrence. It is a process that occurs only with time, a suitable environment, and willingness to do so (Helvig). Everyone has to sleep; however, not everyone’s sleep is the same. “In adult studies, it has been pointed out that no exact amount of ‘optimal’ sleep exists” (Dewald-Kaufmann 172). This would suggest that everyone has a different length of sleep they must achieve. If they do not, they will experience negative symptoms that develop exponentially over time (Dewald-Kaufmann 179). This works conversely, also, that a good night’s rest can aid the human body in many ways. Even though this is a simple concept to understand, it is a difficult concept to explain. One huge question that no one has been able to definitively answer is: why do we sleep? Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to look at the effects of a surplus of sleep and a lack of sleep.

Sleep is essential to life, as it can affect how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis. Sleep deprivation can have a major impact on our overall quality of life. On average, we spend a third of our life asleep. Sleep regenerates our brains and bodies, and without it we cannot function effectively. During sleep the body undergoes several physiological and psychological processes; processing information, learning and consolidating memories. New knowledge about the importance of sleep, the health consequences of chronic sleep deprivation, and sleep disorders has suffered in recent years. Chronic sleep loss and untreated sleep disorders have a profound and diverse impact on health, behavior, and quality of life (Robotham, 2011).

“Sleep is the best meditation.” -Dalai Lama. Sleep can allow thoughts and reflections on the issues from the day. Without enough sleep for the day ahead, it can seem like it will never end, especially for adolescents. Teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night because of their academic performance, the prevention of “bad” behavior, and so they are able to come of age without long-term issues.

An alarming issue that has garnered attention from the international community is sleep and the quality that most individuals receive (Colten & Altevogt, 2006). Sleep quality affects individuals of all ages, including the youth and the elderly. It has been reported that the quality and amount of sleep obtained during adolescence is significantly reduced, in comparison to other age groups, which can lead to improper function throughout the day as well as raise serious health concerns (Doane, Gress-Smith, & Breitenstein, 2015). This issue becomes more pressing when the youth enter college, where students have documented sleeping less and pulling more all-nighters (Lund, Reider, Whiting, & Prichard, 2010). In turn, poor sleep quality, which these

The latest studies on how sleep is negatively impacting our culture are alarming. From children to adults, we are all suffering. It’s taking a toll on our health, focus, and mental well-being. Humans are designed for sleep but in our high stress, technology induced culture, it is eluding us. It’s especially impacting our smallest and most vulnerable members of our society. As a teacher I see the impacts even on our elementary students. They come to school exhausted and struggle to stay engaged. The problem increases as they get older when the demands of extra-curricular activities, homework, and staying connected through social media keep teens up and connected late into the night. The side effects of no sleep are not pretty and can make even the most well-adjusted human act and behave dysfunctional. In recognizing the

Sleep is one of our most basic physiological needs and getting enough of it is paramount to keeping our bodies and minds functioning at optimal performance. The amount of sleep needed varies and decreases by age. From 12-18 hours needed by a newborn to 7-9 hours needed by a health adult. The basal sleep need varies by individual with some people requiring more or less sleep than others (Czeisler 2014). When an individual does not get enough sleep they enter a state of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation elicits a wide range of negative physiological effects, most notably sleep deprivation adversely effects cognition. Unfortunately insufficient sleep is a wide-spread phenomenon. A study by Hublin (2001) found sleep deficits in one fifth of

Sleep is as essential to the human body as food and water, but sometimes sleep quality and quantity is inadequate and this is known as sleep deprivation (SD). Sleep deprived people are sleepy and fatigued making them prone to accidents, impairing their judgement and they are more likely to make mistakes and bad decisions. Not sleeping for 24 hours reduces hand-to-eye coordination, which can be compared to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1 and contributes to road accidents and work injuries. A child’s school performance is negatively affected by the lack of sleep and may cause emotional problems such as depression. Sleep deprived adults suffer from lack concentration, irritability, sleep inertia and a grogginess that lasts

For every living being, sleep is a natural cycle that restores us while we shut-down; we emerge like Lazarus from our slumber. For some, though, sleep is as elusive as it is necessary, and many don’t get enough. Unbeknownst to those unfortunate people afflicted with disturbances in normal sleep patterns, the effects of sleep deprivation are detrimental and compounding. “The Sleep Cure: The Fountain of Youth is Closer Than You Ever Thought” by Alice Park, published for TIME Health on February 16th, 2017, extols the virtues of receiving a good night’s sleep by providing the testimonies of esteemed professors and doctors, in-depth information about health complications stemming from a lack of restful sleep, and a large dose of scare tactics in an attempt to persuade the reader to get more rest.

Sleep plays a major role in people 's lives. Evidence has shown that enough sleep promotes good health and well-being (Ojikutu, R. 2010). It plays a key role in maintaining a healthy brain function,in helping to establish emotional well-being, and in improving overall health since it repairs the heart and blood vessels (Ojikutu, R., 2010). According to the restorative theory, sleep is very necessary to "the physical health and serves to replenish chemicals and repair cellular damage (Ciccarelli, 2012, p. 103). This theory means that the body is trying to achieve a stable psychological state and suggests that sleep will recover and restore the body into full working capacity (Ciccarelli, 2012, p. 103). According to Ojikutu (2010; 2), "sleep is essential to the body and its functions, promoting bodily rest and rejuvenation in the neurons and other cells that are replaced or repaired during times of sleep". Considering the benefits of sleep, scientists recommend a full 9 to 10 hours of sleep for college students (Ojikutu, R., 2010).

Nоrmаllу аftеr а day оf work, wе ѕhоuld sleep easily аnd achieve а deep rest thrоughоut thе night. However, mаnу people dо nоt experience this, іnѕtеаd thеу hаvе difficulty falling asleep, thеу dо nоt gеt еnоugh sleep оr thеу wake uр ѕеvеrаl times аt dawn. But dо nоt gеt discouraged, incredibly іf wе mаkе simple adjustments іn оur daily routine, wе саn prepare fоr а bеttеr night's sleep.