Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms by Charles J Amlaner

1255 Words3 Pages

The general rule of thumb is that to be healthy individuals need to get a minimum of eight hours of sleep a night. Some people get more, and some people get along well with less, but everyone needs to get enough sleep or else they cannot function effectively in their everyday activities. In their work, Your Guide to a Healthy Sleep, National Institutes of Health pointed out that sleep is very important to human existence, so important that one-third of a person’s life is spent doing it (1). In Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms, Amlaner said, “Sleep is a required activity, not an option” (19). During sleep the human body has an opportunity to recuperate from the activities of the day. The recuperation goes beyond that associated with physical activity and also includes mental activities. According to Sleep Deprivation, when people do not get enough sleep they can be irritable, anxious, restless, and distracted, and their health can be affected by an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
Sleeping is such an ordinary activity that most people take it for granted. Night comes around, and people began to unwind as they prepare themselves for a night’s sleep. They close their eyes until the next morning never even considering what happens during their unconsciousness. For many years it was thought that during sleep the body and the brain just shut down, but recent research has discovered that actually this is not the case. The National Institute of Health’s report, Your Guide to a Healthy Sleep, clarifies that “the brain and the body do not shutdown” but rather “remain active during sleep” (4). Furthermore, they indicated that there are two basic types of sleep which they identified as Rapid Eye Mov...

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