Consciousness is the state of being aware of oneself and environment, during sleep this awareness fades, but does not shut out completely. Licht, Hull & Ballantyne (2014).Consciousness is sometimes equated to being awake and unconsciousness equated to being passed out. There are several different levels of consciousness. These states include wakefulness, sleepiness and dreaming. These are only a few names of the altered states of consciousness. Sleep needs can range from 4 hours to 11 hours per night, but most people sleep for 7 to 8 hours. The brain is very active at night, despite popular believe. The brain will cycle through non-REM sleep and end in REM sleep approximately 5 times each night.
Why People Sleep
There are three dominant theories on why people sleep. Even though, people spend one third of their lives asleep, the purpose of sleep is still up for debate. The restorative theory suggests we sleep because it allows for growth and repair of the body and brain. Licht et al. (2014). Growth hormone is released during REM sleep and protein production increases which leads to growth and repair of the body. Some studies have shown that sleep recharges our …show more content…
The average person starts dreaming about 90 mins into sleep, then goes on to have about four to six dreams per night. Not much is known about REM sleep, but most scientists believe that REM sleep is the stage that is responsible for dreaming. Most dreaming is takes place in REM sleep, and is jam packed with sensory details and narrative. Dreams also occur during non REM sleep, but they lack the vivid imagery and story like quality of REM dreams. It is believed that REM sleep stimulates the thalamus, which is the part of the brain responsible for learning. It is also believed that dreaming is the brains way of making sense of the signals that are released during REM sleep. There are three major theory’s that can explain why people
Why People Sleep
There are three dominant theories on why people sleep. Even though, people spend one third of their lives asleep, the purpose of sleep is still up for debate. The restorative theory suggests we sleep because it allows for growth and repair of the body and brain. Licht et al. (2014). Growth hormone is released during REM sleep and protein production increases which leads to growth and repair of the body. Some studies have shown that sleep recharges our …show more content…
The average person starts dreaming about 90 mins into sleep, then goes on to have about four to six dreams per night. Not much is known about REM sleep, but most scientists believe that REM sleep is the stage that is responsible for dreaming. Most dreaming is takes place in REM sleep, and is jam packed with sensory details and narrative. Dreams also occur during non REM sleep, but they lack the vivid imagery and story like quality of REM dreams. It is believed that REM sleep stimulates the thalamus, which is the part of the brain responsible for learning. It is also believed that dreaming is the brains way of making sense of the signals that are released during REM sleep. There are three major theory’s that can explain why people