The Effects Of Sleep On The Sleep Cycle

One of the question that will be answer in my essay is why we sleep? Is it because of an ancient survival instinct we have? It very well could be however another explanation for why we sleep is based on the belief that sleep is for our bodies to restore what we lost in the body while we were awake. It is thought to provide the body with the rest it needs in order to repair itself. We have been able to gather information about sleep due to human and animal study and research alike. One of the things we have learned from animal research is that the animals who are deprived of sleep start to have their immune system deteriorate. We can support this claim because of the findings of the hormones that are released. One of the other positive aspects of sleep is that when we

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

Humans are very abnormal creatures. We are in a day and age where it is acceptable to become so consumed by work and other activities, that we sometimes deny ourselves of one of the most necessary functions. That function is sleep and it is a very vital component that us humans love to neglect ourselves of.

Everyone needs sleep and it will make a day go smoothly or completely ruin someone’s rest of the day. Every human, animal, and most insects require a sufficient amount of sleep to function normally thought-out their day and night. On average humans need about seven to ten hours of sleep, as a normal requirement for the brain to recover conventionally. However, 40-50 percent of Americans do not get enough sleep every night (Information on Insomnia, n.d.). Lack of time or stressful living schedule may hinder there sleeping time. Others may have a disorder that causes them to have horrible sleep experiences and not being able to sleep.

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).

Despite the unanswered questions and the unknown factors behind sleep and dreams, there are many theories behind their purposes. Many popular sleep theories have to do with keeping out body and mind in top shape. Some examples of sleep theories are: protection, recuperation, memory restoration, and growth. (Myers, 2014) All of these theories are beneficial to the body and its functionality. The protection theory assumes that the feeling of sleep kicks in when it is dark or dangerous out and danger is more prevalent.

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.

The Inactivity Theory is one of the earliest theories on why we may sleep, it suggests that you sleep at night to keep you out of harm’s way from predators. It gives us an advantage to save energy

It's also called the adaptive or evolutionary theory, it suggests that inactivity at night is an adaption that served as a survival function by keeping organisms away from danger when they could be especially vulnerable (“Why Do We Sleep, Anyway”). Energy conservation theory suggests that the primary function of sleep is to reduce an individual's energy demand and expenditure during part of the day or night. Research has shown that energy metabolism is significantly reduced during sleep. For example, both body temperature and caloric demand decrease during sleep (“Why Do We Sleep, Anyway”). The restorative theory is an explanation for a belief that sleep restores what is lost in the body while we are awake. Sleep provides an opportunity for the body to repair and rejuvenate itself. For example, many major restorative functions in the body like muscle growth, tissue repair, protein synthesis, and growth hormone release occur mostly, or in some cases only, during sleep (“Why Do We Sleep, Anyway”). The brain plasticity theory is based on findings that sleep is correlated to changes in the structure and organization of the brain. Sleep plays a vital role in brain development in infants and young children. Infants spend around 13 to 14 hours per day sleeping, and about half of that time is spent in REM sleep, the stage in which most dreams occur. A link between sleep and brain plasticity is becoming clear in

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.

According to the evolution theory, sleep is adaptive because it is useful survival. Webb also proposed that the main function of sleep is to conserve energy, like mammals which use lots of energy to keep their body temperature constant to look for food and avoid predators. Also, animals in higher level of the food chain spend more time to sleep than animal in lower level of the food chain in order to conserve energy for preying. Furthermore, animals with high metabolic rate such as small rodent use more energy than animals with low metabolic rate, as the theory suggest, they will sleep longer in order to save energy.

Sleeping is a hobby of mine. Not being asleep, although I do enjoy that, but rather sleep itself. Mainly, I’m intrigued by why we sleep. To me, it seems kind of silly, from an evolutionary standpoint, that we have to become immobile and unable to defend ourselves for 6-8 hours every night while predators lurk in the dark.

There have been countless numbers of studies investigating the function of sleep leading to various theories,

Sleeping is extremely important for all mammals, but humans especially. Without sleep we are unable to function properly and at our fullest abilities. When we sleep we grow, and it is an opportunity for us to dream which has many benefits. Sleep is also a way for us to relieve ourselves of stress.

A typical night’s sleep is much more complicated than just closing your eyes and waking in the morning. As humans, we live our life on a circadian rhythm. This means that changes occur roughly based upon a 24-hour basis. This circadian rhythm plays a major role in when we get tired and decide it’s time to sleep. This rhythm is theorized to have helped us stay safe thousands of years ago. We would fall asleep during the time that their seemed to be threats roaming around in the dark. to Once we finally get to sleep, our brains and bodies are doing much more than laying in complete stillness. There are five distinct stages of sleep that we experience as we sleep. Each is uniquely different and serves a purpose throughout the night. The first stage of sleep is a very light sleep that lasts for 5 to 10 minutes. During this stage of sleep, you may not even realize that you’re sleeping. While in this stage of sleep our brains power down by 50 percent and produce theta waves four to seven times per second. We proceed to stage two after this. During stage two, our brains power down