Deep Sleep Essay

Sleep is important for health and well being at every age, but babies, children and adults sleep differently. The amount of time we spend in light and deep sleep varies depending on age. Babies are biologically programmed to sleep more lightly and wake more often than adults.

Babies, children and adults all need sleep, and we spend about one-third of our lives asleep.

Children and adults need to get enough sleep so they can play, learn and concentrate during the day. A lot happens in our bodies and brains while we sleep. For example, when it’s dark, children’s bodies produce growth hormone. This is one of the reasons why young children spend so much time sleeping – their bodies and brains have so much growing to do.

At every age, normal sleep involves cycles of: -light sleep, also called rapid eye movement

When you’re in light sleep, sometimes you might not even realise you’re asleep. You can wake easily from light sleep. Light sleep is when you dream.

Deep sleep is a lot more peaceful and restful. It’s thought that deep sleep is the time when we grow and heal. Someone in deep sleep is hard to wake up and might feel quite drowsy when they do wake up.

Each night everyone – grown-ups and children – moves through repeating cycles of deep and light sleep.

More of our sleep in the early part of the night is deep sleep (about 80%). Then about halfway through our normal-length sleep, our sleep cycle flips. By morning, about 80% of our sleep is light sleep, because of it’s easier to be disturbed towards the end of a sleep.

Sleep cycles in babies and children are different from adult.

Cycles of deep and light sleep last between 30-50 minutes in babies, then gradually increase in length across childhood.

Some babies and children fall deeply asleep very quickly. Others sleep lightly, fidgeting and muttering for up to 20 minutes, before getting into deep sleep it is depend from child