Everyone sleeps, but there is a major mystery that involves sleep; why do we do it? In ancient and pre-historic times, when animals roamed wild, it does not seem the most ideal to be sleeping. Greek philosopher Aristotle came up with the first scientific theory of why we sleep. He believed that a person awakes from sleep once digestion of food is complete (2013). This theory has been proven to be wrong, but research shows that sleep has effects on the brain and the body.
Humans sleep for about a third of their lives and there are dozens of different theories of reasons why it is actually a necessity (TED, 2013). There are three theories that stand out. They include: restoration, energy conservation, and brain processing and memory consolidation. The restoration theory is thought of that we replace and rebuild while we sleep. Energy consolidation is similar to just losing calories while we sleep. Brain processing and memory consolidation is the theory that scientist believe the brain processes information and builds memory. This theory is one that many scientists are leaning toward more than others. Sleeping is more beneficial for the brain, than the body, but sleep is beneficial for a person’s health. A person who is sleep deprived, is more susceptible for diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer (Cox, 2002). In the 1950s, the average hours of sleep for a person were 8 hours. The average hours of sleep for people now are 6.5 hours (TED, 2013).
It is important that people continue to receive sleep to insure brain plasticity. Brain plasticity is the natural way the brain changes. The brain is constantly working, even during sleep. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep ...
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...Scientists can give an electrical impulse to a pair of neurons, and they will communicate more easily in the future. This action is known as long-term potentiation (LTP). This effect will last long enough to make a memory. LTP is prevalent in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is a subcortical structure that plays a role in allowing new information to be stored in the brain’s memory banks. In the awake brain, information about the external world reaches the hippocampus via the entorhinal cortex (Buzsák, 1998). During sleep, the direction of information flow is reversed: population bursts initiated in the hippocampus invade the neocortex. We suggest that neocortico-hippocampal transfer of information and the modification process in neocortical circuitries by the hippocampal output take place in a temporally discontinuous manner associated with the wake-sleep cycle.
One reason that it’s important to have a full eight hours of sleep is so that you can have good health.Not sleeping good can have a higher risk of obesity. Obesity is a health problem which means that you are overweight. A way that would decrease the risk of a higher chance of having obesity is by falling and waking up at the same time everyday as scientist have proven. More sleep also helps with brain health. As we all know the brain is a big part of our whole body system. Which also not enough sleep can cause
Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2008). Reactivation and consolidation of memory during sleep. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 188-192. doi: 10.1111/j.14678721.2008.00572.x
When most people think of sleep, they think of it as a relaxed but yet not a very important part of our daily lives. What most people don’t understand is although we are not up and moving around and getting tasks completed, our brains are still very active. Without sleep our bodies do not function correctly on a daily basis, and our mental state is at risk.
...ep. There are events in sleep that are associated with synaptic modification, which is the basis of brain rewiring that enhances cognition. There is evidence that sleep accelerated transcription of cortical genes that are associated with protein synthesis9. These newly generated proteins are known to be required for strengthening of existing synapses and building new synapses. Studies have found increase of factors associated with brain-plasticity and enhanced learning during sleep5. These factors include phosphorylated or activated CREB, a transcriptional factor, as well as Arc, BDNF, and NGFI-A. These evidence help explain how sleep can influence brain rewiring through synaptic modification. This mechanism helps explain how sleep can modify the brain and ultimately enhance learning. This is a strong evidence that supports the synaptic downscaling hypothesis.
Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive and to function in day to day operations, but not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people can survive on very little sleep, i.e. five hours a night, and some people need a lot of sleep, to the extend that they are sleeping up to 10 to sometimes 15 hours a night (Nature, 2005). According to Wilson (2005) the general rule states that most people need from seven to eight hours of sleep. The deprivation of sleep in our society in continually increasing with the demands in society increasing work loads, the myth that a few hours of sleep is only necessary to function properly and that sleep is sometimes considered as killing time (Nature, 2005). Sometimes sleep deprivation is also caused by other situations like sleep disorders, i.e. sleep apnea, chronic insomnia or medical conditions such as stress (Wilson, 2005).
Why we need sleep is an unanswered question that even scientist don’t know the exact answer too. But, they do know what will happen to you without s...
Health is a complex concept, and when we talk about health we refer to body health and to the health of the mind, the health of relationships between us and those around us, the spiritual health. Looking online on one of the additional resources recommended, www.nimh.nih.gov, I have noticed that one of the symptoms of most diseases that affect a person's mental health is lack of sleep. Lack of sleep not only worsens man's mental health, but also causes serious imbalances in metabolism, immunity, general mood, and last but not least, affects the ability of learning and memorizing among students. The sleep fulfills a number of vital functions for both our mind and body. We spend about a third of our lives sleeping, which is a valuable and useful
A restorative theory claims that sleep is used to repair the body including the brain. Oswald suggests that slow wave sleep is when body repair occurs and REM sleep is when the brain is repaired. This is supported by the fact that there is an increase in the secretion of growth hormones during SWS. This could also explain why brain activity levels are high during REM sleep, and similar to when awake.
Each night, the average person spends approximately 7-9 hours giving their bodies a restful vacation in the land of dreams. Considering this, we spend 1/3 (or 25 years) of our entire lives engaging in this idle activity. Although these numbers can appear as a waste of time in our every day lives, sleeping and/or napping is the energy that helps fuel our bodies to function correctly. Sleep is a necessary function in our every day routine in order to make our brains function at the most efficient level. As we sleep, the brain helps us to recuperate and regain strength by “restoring and repairing the brain tissue” (Myers, 2010, p 99). Without this reviving process, we would all eventually deteriorate. By impairing the sleep deprived mentally and physically, it can potentially cause serious harm. We must fade our conscious mind, and let our mind relax within subconscious state.
Sleep is an integral part of life, but differs from other states of reduced consciousness in that the brain is still somewhat active. Sleep is an “altered state of consciousness, [with the sleeper losing] substantial contact with the external world.” (Gazzaniga, M., & Heatherton, T., 2016). Nonetheless, brain activity has an extensive role in the creation of “sleep”, generating two distinct types - slow-wave sleep, also referred to as deep sleep, and rapid eye movement, also called the dreaming stage. Comprised of five stages, sleep is a complex state of mind, also consisting of patterns known as circadian rhythms. Operating as a behavior, sleep alters to suit our bodily needs, and informs us of such needs through an intricate network of nerves. Furthermore, without obtaining an ideal amount of sleep, problems can arise that may affect one’s wellbeing. Detailed research and studies previously conducted on the subject of sleep allows the accumulation of information to be
Morita, Y., Ogawa, K., & Uchida, S.(2012). The effect of a daytime 2-hour nap on complex
Rasch, Björn, and Jan Born. "About Sleep 's Role in Memory." Physiological Reviews. American Physiological Society, n.d. Web. 06 May 2016.
Getting enough sleep can increase our chances of being more mentally/physically healthy and our safety throughout the day. How we feel throughout the day is depending on our sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to impaired judgment and actions, which can be a safety hazard towards yourself and your surroundings. When we sleep, our bodies are working to revitalize the brain to form new pathways to help with memory functions and our physical health such as healing repair heart and blood vessels and hormone balance. It is very important for everyone to maintain a good night’s rest to maintain daytime performance and lower stress. Sleep will reduce the levels of stress, help others gain control on their actions and avoid depression. Contributing to these sleep benefits will change your body and mind
Sleep is very important for human beings. Sleeping means taking rest for every person and each person spends one-third of his lifetime sleeping. Without sleeping, no one can exist in this world. Sleeping is essential for a person’s health and well-being throughout his life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times helps all people protect their mental health, physical health and safety. A person who does not get enough sleep might suffer from mental disorders, diseases and even harmful situations. Therefore, it is important for every human being to have enough sleep.