Sleep, The Mysterious Lifeline On average, humans spend at least one-third of their lives asleep, adding up to around 26 years for a typical lifespan(“stud”). Although scientists have yet to find a reason behind the necessity for humans to sleep, it is an essential part of all human lives. However, scientists have been doing extensive testing for years, and have resulted in many credible hypothesis on why humans must sleep. Contrary to what would be expected considering sleep consumes a great deal of human life, sleep problems are one of the most common complaints that doctors hear from their patients (“stud”). Not attaining enough sleep repeatedly can cause major effects on a person, and even result in death when extreme. The most commonly thought of reason for why humans need to sleep is simple: to replenish energy that was previously expended throughout a normal day. This being correct, there is still more to this hypothesis than for a person to just simply “rest”. For example, there are many parts of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex which is constantly working other than when one sleeps. That is because certain parts of the brain, like this one, are working even when a human is simply sitting on the couch relaxing. Therefore, without sleep, parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortex would become overworked and eventually cease to function properly (“The Sc”). Laboratory tests on both humans and animals show that the performance of a certain task correlated
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.
Sleep gives the body the necessary energy to continue the next day and gives the brain a chance to organize information and other related matters. Researchers still do not know precisely what processes the brain conducts during sleep, although preliminary information indicates that the sleep period is the period in which the brain organizes the information gained during vigilance and consumes chemicals. While the body is resting, the human brain gets busy processing the activity during the day. Furthermore, it makes connections between phenomena, emotions, experiences, and memories.
For some, sleep may seem like wasted hours of doing nothing, and for others, it’s a reward for when all our important work is finally complete. However, the value of getting a good night’s sleep is often misunderstood as it’s a critical moment in which our body balances and regulates our vital systems. Instead of cramming to until 4 in the morning to study and forcing yourself to stay away with an extra cup of coffee, it’s best to close your eyes and get some sleep as it allows your body to regenerate itself. Many are unaware of how crucial sleep is to your brain as it affects everything from your respiratory system to your ability to recall information. Marcu explains how sleep restructures your brain in a way that’s necessary for how our
If physiologists devoted the most research time to behaviors humans engaged in the most, we would probably have a full understanding of the biological purpose of sleep. After all, humans, with the exception of most college students, spend one third of their lives in a somnolent state. Despite its fundamental role in human and animal life, sleep is, even in an age when neuroscience has reduced many behaviors to neurological mechanisms, still quite mysterious. What processes are taking place during sleep that benefit the organism? Why spend so much time in an unresponsive and vulnerable state? That these questions haven't been definitively answered is really not a function of a lack of effort on
There are many theories scientists have made for way we sleep. Inactivity theory states humans use to sit still for long periods of time to wait out their predators and it is now manifested in the form of sleep. Energy conservation theory states that we sleep to conserve our energy to search for food, or in modern times, work. Restorative theory states we sleep to renew our bodies and minds. Then, there is the brain plasticity theory which states that we sleep so that our brains can grow.
Sleep is an important part of life; it is the time when the mind can relax and the body gets busy fighting infections and rejuvenating for the following day. As recommended by doctors and sleep professionals a person needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep a day while children, adolescents and elderly are recommended to get more. Sleep health consist of the quality and duration a person gets each night. Sleep health for many people is not easily obtained; technology, anxiety, stress, work, family, and financial issues can interrupt it. Some suffer from Sleep disorders and some simply do not have time for sleep, nonetheless, these interruptions are causing people to suffer mentally and physically. According to Healthy people 2020, “Poor sleep health is
Three theories of why we sleep are the Restorative Theory, Adaptive Theory, and the Energy Conservation Theory. The Restorative Theory states that while we sleep our body restores tissues and “heals” our body so we are ready for the next day. The Adaptive Theory states that we adapted to sleeping for the amount of time we sleep. We also sleep as a way of adapting to our environment this came from the idea that how long and how many times a day animals sleep is a way they adapt to their environment. The Energy Conservation Theory states that we sleep as a way to save energy and build our energy back up and prepare us for the next
Sleeping is something that many individuals tend to underestimate in regards to its importance. A regular sleeping schedule can have many benefits on an individual's mental and physical health and can have an overall benefit on their quality of life. Unfortunately, not many people get the proper amount and quality of sleep. In fact, it is estimated that around fifty to seventy million US adults suffer from some kind of sleeping problem and/or disorder (CDC, 2015). This is an issue because insufficient sleeping patterns can lead to a number of different problems such as; chronic diseases, slow reactions, inability to think clearly, inability to learn, and an overall higher risk of dangerous outcomes (NIH, 2012). Given its high prevalence in
First, let’s review some reasons why people need sleep. People need sleep for multiple reasons. The general reason is that sleep helps our physical and mental help. It does this by resorting our body tissues, encouraging body growth, and increasing our immune system. It also helps to keep our mind sharp, enhance our moods, and helping learning and memory (Pastorino & Doyle-Portillo, 2013, p. 4-1a). There are five stages or sleep, the four stages of Non-rem sleep and the single stage of Rem Sleep. Stage I of
Sleep is a natural state of unconsciousness and is one of the most important human needs. Sleep is also an active process which affects all parts of the body and cannot be replaced by anything else. There are some conditions which have to be fulfilled to differentiate sleep from unconsciousness – for example sleep occurs periodically and can be interrupted at any time. People also sleep one third of their lives and we can be awakened up by stimulation from sleep by stimulation. Similar to animals, the human body, is not capable of 24 hours of continuous activity. Sleep has also many functions. During sleep, the brain recovers its functions. It is essential for anabolic and somatic reparation processes and immune system repair as well as the proper functioning of memory (during the REM phase). During sleep, our body temperature decreases, our breathing slows down, muscles repair and blood pressure declines. If we don’t have enough sleep we can have physical and psychological problems. Sleep affects how we feel, look and how we performer on a daily basis.
Sleep is a biological requirement. All animals sleep. It is the…Key to our health, productivity, safety and quality of life
Intricate human bodies are much like carefully crafted machines. Each function has a purpose, and each need has a particular function. And, much like a machine, bodies can replenish their power, repair themselves, and fail and break down. One particular necessity for human bodies is sleep, and if not acquired, numerous complications can emerge. Sleep deprivation is a common problem that is all too often overlooked as a mere loss of a night’s rest. What most people do not realize is the potential problems sleep deprivation can cause. From undesired grouchiness and uninhibited yawns, to constant illness and a failing mental state, sleep deprivation is condition that is nothing to be taken lightly. In fact, it can cause an otherwise healthy person to slowly shut down and break, just as a machine does without power.
People think that when they have to finish something they can just stay up late to complete it and lose precious sleep time. In reality, that should not be the case. Millions of people around the world suffer from sleep deprivation. (“Why Sleep”). Many people look at sleep as a luxury. Some people think that they can skip sleep and depend on coffee. The truth is the human body needs sleep. “Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing” (“Why Sleep”). Sleep provides a time for the body’s cells to recover from the wear and tear of daily life (“Does”). Sleep deprivation can lead to many physical health problems, including a higher risk of diabetes, a higher risk of obesity, and
The need for sleep is one of the strongest biological urges we have. One of the few that we really can’t control. And the fact is, we can die faster from sleep deprivation than food deprivation. Even though the average person will sleep for 25 years of their lives, there is no scientific consensus as to why exactly we do it. One thing we know for sure is that our brains definitely think that sleep is important. Deep in the hypothalamus, the tiny nut sized region at the base of the brain, there is a little cluster of cells that act like a timer called, the supra-chiasmatic nucleus. When we are exposed to light, this little cluster busily releases awake hormones like cortisol, and suppresses the release of sleepy hormones like melatonin. When it’s dark, it does the opposite. A second trigger for sleep is believed to be the build up of the compound adenosine in the brain. Adenosine is a by product of the neutrons and other cells when they burn up adenosine triphosphate, the main molecule that our bodies use to store energy. Research suggests that when a bunch of left over adenosine accumulates in the brain we get sleepy. Caffeine works by bonding to the same receptors as adenosine and tricking the body into thinking it’s not tired. But when we do sleep, those adenosine levels drop as it’s gradually reabsorbed by the neurons. This is why we feel rested when we wake up for the most part. Although there are a lot of theories out there of why we sleep, there isn’t one single
Every living organism needs to rest, starting from the animal kingdom to humans. All of them need to sleep as a need for food, it is a necessity for life. Sleep is important and necessary for human health and its ability to engage in intellectual activity and mental fitness. Everyone needs to sleep, one of the basics of life. Humans spend almost half of lifetime sleeping and then have to know how to keep the body in a good sleeping time. Many of the physical problems can interfere with the ability to fall or stay asleep. Sleep is important; because it helps human to boost’s memory, being active, reduce the chronic inflammations, and mean the weight. Although, there are many disorders that may interfere with person’s sleep.