The Beauty of Sleep Essay

09-09-2012 Day 1: I went to sleep at 1:00 am and woke up at 6:11 am. The dream was that my grandmother passed away and that I had nobody to confide in. It got to a point where I just went

“Why do we sleep?” is a very popular questions that many humans ask today. Sleep is very sufficient to the human body. If it was not important, then God would not have designed for a third of our life to be occupied by sleep. During this time period, many people are interested to know what is a good amount of sleep and what are the harmful effects to not getting enough sleep.

There are a few factors that are essential for life such as breathing or eating, but one of the most essential factor is sleep. Even though the amount of sleep people need differs from one individual to another, the fact is that eventually everyone needs to sleep. People know the importance of sleep, but due to the increased workload and the pressure of society people are getting less sleep. As a result, there has been an increase interest on the effects lack of sleep has on the mind especially the memory of a person. Many questions arose about the relationship between sleep and memory due to the fact most high school and college students have become sleep deprived. For example, does more sleep mean higher grades?

Most people joke around about how important sleep is and they say things like: “If I don’t sleep right now I might die!”. But many people don’t know how true that statement can be or how important sleep really is. The amount of sleep you get is important and how much sleep you need varies depending on your age. Even naps can help people that have unusual sleeping schedules. Sleeping and napping give you the energy you need to go through the day, but over sleeping or napping can make you even more tired than you were before. Sleeping and napping is a very important thing you need to do to be healthy, to have enough energy to go through the day, and help you be more focused throughout the day.

The first stage of sleep is call N1. N1 is the stage between sleep and wakefulness. In this cycle, your brain produces Theta waves. Hypnogogic Hallucinations are also present during this phase. Hypnogogic Hallucinations are strange sensations that occur when you hear or see something that is not there. For example, if you watched the movie Frankenstein before you fall asleep, you might see the monster Frankenstein when falling asleep.

I found an interesting article written by the Harvard Medical School Department of Neurobiology. In 1721 nightmares was defined as a "disease when a man in his sleep supposes he has a great weight laying upon him” (Edwards, n.d.). This definition completely differs from today's definition. are more Today, the different is completely different nightmares affect many adults, however, it affects children more. The reason for this is because children are smaller and more vulnerable more threats than adults (Edwards, n.d.). Nightmares can be caused by a number of factors, however, Edwards states that the most studied cause for nightmares is post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result of trauma and negative experiences, individuals typically

Night terrors also known as sleep terrors can be defined as a “sleeping disorder characterized by high arousal and an appearance of being terrified” (Meyers, 2014). Night terrors most commonly occur with children. Many people in general not just parents get confused between a nightmare and a night terror. Nightmares occur during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep which is a state of sleep where people are conscious. When a person wakes up from a nightmare they have a “vivid memory of a long movie like a dream” (nightterrors.org). Night terrors, on the other hand, occur “during NERM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered” (Meyers, 2014). Since the child is in such deep sleep he/she will not remember a night terror. Since the child cannot remember their dream it makes it hard for doctors and psychologist to figure out what the child is fearful of, and why it is occurring. Although it is difficult for professionals to diagnose, it is beneficial to the child not

In childhood, emotions are what rule us. Normally night terrors are controlled by the subconscious. Basically, whatever is feared, changed, worrying, or even frustration, can have an effect on the child leading to a night terror. Children are heavily influenced by their parents, this is why in a separation or divorce the child often suffers severely, in cases with the children who also suffer from night terrors, this is an even more difficult time. Any emotional, physical, or mental changes could be considered stressors or triggers - cause of the night terrors. In

Sleep terrors more commonly affect young children between the ages of 4 – 12. I picked this sleep disorder because my daughter suffered from them. Many parents refer to this disorder as night terrors. Sleep terrors are unlike the common nightmare. Sleep terrors happen during the beginning of a sleep cycle; whereas, the common nightmare will be experienced during the latter half of an individual’s sleep cycle. When a child experiences a sleep terror that child will not awaken, but instead falls lazily back into bed, not remembering anything the next morning. To experience a child having a night terror is horrifying, spine-chilling, and leaves you feeling helpless. I had no idea what was happening the first time she suffered from a sleep

“The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to, then forcing oneself to stay awake for days on end must surely come a close second.”

What do the effects of sleep deprivation have on people? When a person does not get enough sleep, he or she is depriving his or her body of something that it needs. A delightful sleep is one of the most satisfying human experiences with a role to play in supporting a good mood and cognitive acuity as well as in promoting physiologic balance and resilience (Chittora, Jain and Suhalka). People think because they get an insufficient number of hours of sleep, they will not have an emotional impact by it. Sleep is a required need for peoples’ day to day life to be able to perform and stay healthy emotionally and physically. The effects of sleep deprivation are an issue because it affects mood, performance, and health.

Night terrors can seem to be nightmares, but occur during NREM-3 sleep, which is a stage of sleep when you are hard to waken. Originally I considered my childhood nightmares night terrors, but unlike night terrors I could easily wake myself up and never talked or walked around during an episode. Sleep walking can sometimes be linked to night terrors, but are also they're own separate disorder. Within the NREM-3 a person can be prone to sleepwalking, especially if it runs in the family. I personally have been in

Each night without fail our eyes grow heavy and our minds tired, and dreaming we drag ourselves to bed and normally fall asleep quickly and peacefully off to dream land we go.

 REM Sleep (Rapid Eye-Movement Sleep): a stage of sleep associated with dreaming, and characterized by frequent eye movements, suppression of the muscles.

Night terrors, nightmares, and sleepwalking are all cases that fall into sleep disorders called parasomnias. Parasomnias are disruptive sleep disorders that can occur during arousal from either rapid eye movement or even non-rapid eye movement. Children from the age’s four to twelve of ages experience night terrors.