Sleeping Patterns: A Meta-Analytic Analysis

To assess and to compare the acute effects of three different modalities of physical exercise on sleep pattern of patients with chronic primary insomnia.

Sleep disorders alter ones sleep pattern and often results in the inability to either sleep or sleep soundly. They often cause you to feel restless, tired, fatigued, and irritable. It is estimated that nearly 75 percent of adult Americans experience sleep disorder symptoms at least a few nights per week. At the same time, sleep disturbances in some form are seen in as many as 25 to 30 percent of infants and children (“Sleep Disorders” 2013). Clearly a huge conundrum in the world, sleep disorders affect an inordinate amount of people. Millions of people suffer or have suffered from a sleep disorder at one point in their lives and if mistreated can impact organ systems functioning negatively. Physical disturbances, medical issues,

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.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleeping makes up one third of a person’s lifetime. Despite that fact, people do not get nearly enough sleep to be productive.

I have always been enchanted by the idea of sleep. As a child, I laid in bed attempting to understand why I was unable to fall asleep. I knew I wasn’t the only one, but the snoring of my family convinced me otherwise. Biology taught me to understand genetics and environmental cues, but they were unable to explain to me how my sleep pattern was different. Unable to figure the cause of my sleep problems, I delved into self-treatments instead. Curiosity for knowledge in sleep therapy prompted my interest in understanding sleep consequences and health.

This essay focuses on evaluating three functions of sleep. These functions include mental health (Jackowska et al, 2011), cardiovascular disease (Kronholm et al, 2011) and memory (Hu et al, 2006). The key aspects are explained in detail with regards to studies. The findings from the studies will help justify the function and it’s involvement with sleep. Sleep is important for an individual’s well being, survival, brain development, emotional regulation, cognitive function, memory, and in order to protect mental and cardiovascular health. An individual should sleep for 6-8 hours. A recent suggestion by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended that an individual should sleep for minimum 7 hours. The quality of sleep is significant to maintain healthy brain functions. Evidence, indicating that good sleep quality is essential for mood and health then duration (Chandola et al, 2010). The researches implied will enable the understanding of the functions of sleep and evaluate the evidence of each of the functions, including advantages and limitations. Furthermore ethical issues are discussed, and an overall summary of the essay is briefed.

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

"(”Having Trouble Sleeping?”)Sleep is a biological necessity and is essential for the restoration of cells in the body. Saundra K. Ciccarelli and J. Noland White, authors of Psychology, fourth edition states, “sleep is one of the human body’s biological rhythms, natural cycles of activity that the body must go through”(138). Naturally as a person ages they become more in control and aware of their sleep schedule. This ability to make the choice of when to go to sleep and for how long is when bad habits start to develop. Trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep is a widespread issue. Often people think they have a medical sleep disorder, but most sleeping problems can be traced back to bad habits throughout the day before bed and while in

Sleep is essential to life, and it is estimated that humans spend one third of their lifetime sleeping 1. An estimated 50-70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, yet only 20% report it to their physicians. Poor sleep may be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and has serious biological consequences 2. A growing body of literature suggests a relationship between sleep parameters (sleep duration and sleep quality) and morbidity & mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, and all-cause mortality 3-8. A recent review summarized 23 studies and

Sleep is a basic human need, it affects how we function on a daily basis and is essential for a person’s health and well being. Sleeping allows the body to recharge and affords the brain the opportunity to integrate important facts, memories and emotional impressions recorded from the previous day. There are five stages of sleep that people go through: Stages one, two, three, four, and Rapid Eye Movement (REM). Sleep is important for all human beings but the amount of sleep each person needs is dependent on many different factors, for example age. Infants generally need sixteen hours of sleep a day, teenagers need about nine hours, and for most adults, seven to eight hours a night is ideal. If people do not sleep enough for several nights they

Sufficient sleep is defined as 7 or more hours in a 24-hour period. Poor sleep health is a common problem in the U.S. with 25 percent of adults reporting insufficient sleep for at least 15 out 30 days (2009). Over the last 30 years, the odds of being a short sleeper (less than 6 hours a night) has increased notably in the United States (Knutson et al. 2010). Currently, it is estimated that approximately 70 million Americans have sleep problems and that nearly 60 percent of them have a chronic disorder. Possible chronic disorders include; sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, parasomnia, jet-lag syndrome, and disturbed circadian rhythms (National Institutes of Health).

As an individual sleeps, his body is able to repair itself, remove toxins, and consolidate memories. It is no surprise that the Dalai Lama has once stated that, “Sleep is the best meditation”. Even though the importance of sleep is highly proclaimed, sleep deprivation, especially in young adults, is significantly prevalent. Doctors recommend the sufficient amount time adolescents should spend sleeping every night is eight hours. However, due to a committed schedule, many young adults find themselves in a predicament that powers their improper sleep habits. The contradictory perspective on the value of sleep, assert that the time spent sleeping can be used to performing tasks that are more productive. But a multitude of studies continue to indicate

Many people dread going to sleep at night because they know their sleep will be anything but refreshing and energizing. Now with so many different types of disorders, treatments vary. The main treatment for them though is medication. Other treatments include devices, upgraded sleep environments, reducing liquids before bed, and exercising at some point during the day. There is also a very intriguing treatment, a sleep diary. This sleep diary keeps track of sleeping problems and patterns which at the end of the day can help diagnose what the sleep disorder is. Treatments can be a tremendous help in getting a refreshing night of sleep for some, but others still know that when they wake in the morning they will not feel refreshed or energized at

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).

I have fallen asleep every night for the last 22 years, but yet I never analyzed my own sleep pattern. Never truly aware of what time I fell asleep, whether I dreamt every night, or the quality of my sleep. All I knew was that the older I got, the more lethargic I got, and the more caffeine I consumed. Now given the opportunity to monitor my sleep for five nights with the use of a sleep diary I have better knowledge of my sleep patterns. Basing my sleep patterns on concepts learned in class, I was able to understand my sleep, and apply different issues I experienced each night to the resolutions I learned. Hopefully, after my sleep diary I will know how to improve my quality of sleep on a regular basis based on concepts learned in class.