Sleep is a very interesting activity our bodies do naturally. Many people wonder: How much sleep is enough sleep? Or simply why do we sleep? I have always been curious about what my body and brain do while I’m asleep. Studies show you need a good night 's sleep to be able to function the following day. However, many people argue that it’s not true. Personally I need to get sleep to be able to function for anything I 'm doing the next day. Some people think we can enter a different dimension while we sleep. I find that a little bit silly if you ask me. Our body is doing amazing things when we sleep. To me sleep is very important and makes me feel amazing the next day. Naps are heaven. I find myself making mistakes, and not being fully engaged
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The human body would be completely drained. We wouldn’t perform at our best if we didn’t get enough sleep. There is a part of the brain called to Suprachiasmatic Nucleus(SCN). This part of our brains initiates signals to other parts of our brain that control body temperatures, hormones and other functions that help play a role in keeping us awake and putting us to sleep. The SCN is located in the hypothalamus, the signal it gives is a clock component, generating a 24 hour rhythm. A signal is given off that keeps the body at rest for 24 hours(bbc.co.uk). Of course we don’t sleep 24 hours. That would be crazy, but because of environmental cues, like the sun or light. We wake up sooner. Our bodies are meant to get an extreme amount of sleep. Of course not 24 hours, that 's insane but sleep is our bodies way of saying, “give me a break!” Everyone has a different set time for how long they can sleep. The average number of hours to sleep for adults is 7 to 8 hours of sleep. What 's interesting is that newborns and infants need 12 to 14 hours of sleep (National Sleep Foundation). Their brains and bodies are working to grow and finish development. If Newborns and infants need that much sleep to help their bodies, then why shouldn’t adults? If someone simply can’t sleep or has a hard time falling asleep it could be they had some physical problem or mental problem. “People who are totally blind, completely lacking the …show more content…
Stage one is a light sleep. Also known as being half-way asleep. Usually you can hear surroundings and even engage in conversation but you 're technically asleep. Stage two is called true sleep. True sleep begins usually 10 minutes after light sleep and only lasts about 20 minutes. During true sleep our heart rate and breathing slow down. Stage three is your deep sleep. In deep sleep our brain produces Delta waves, the waves have high amplitude and low frequency. Breathing and heart rate are at the lowest. Stage 4, the deepest sleep and the final stage. Our bodies can have a hard time waking up. If someone tries to wake you or your alarm goes off, you usually have a extremely hard time waking up. Many times we feel disoriented after being waken from stage 4 sleep. Stage 4 sleep might be the most important stage because your body is restoring, and growing tissue at this time. The blood flow to your muscles are increased and they become most relaxed. (Sleepfoundation.org) When people sleep only about 2 to 4 hours, they probably aren 't experiencing the full 4 stages of sleep the body requires. Other cool activity that happens when we sleep is REM sleep. or rapid eye movement sleep. REM sleep can happen 3-5 times during the stages of sleep. Usually when we are in stage 3 of the sleep cycle. Our brain is very active even if we are not conscious. REM sleep can cause blood pressure to rise and breathing to increase.
The human body would be completely drained. We wouldn’t perform at our best if we didn’t get enough sleep. There is a part of the brain called to Suprachiasmatic Nucleus(SCN). This part of our brains initiates signals to other parts of our brain that control body temperatures, hormones and other functions that help play a role in keeping us awake and putting us to sleep. The SCN is located in the hypothalamus, the signal it gives is a clock component, generating a 24 hour rhythm. A signal is given off that keeps the body at rest for 24 hours(bbc.co.uk). Of course we don’t sleep 24 hours. That would be crazy, but because of environmental cues, like the sun or light. We wake up sooner. Our bodies are meant to get an extreme amount of sleep. Of course not 24 hours, that 's insane but sleep is our bodies way of saying, “give me a break!” Everyone has a different set time for how long they can sleep. The average number of hours to sleep for adults is 7 to 8 hours of sleep. What 's interesting is that newborns and infants need 12 to 14 hours of sleep (National Sleep Foundation). Their brains and bodies are working to grow and finish development. If Newborns and infants need that much sleep to help their bodies, then why shouldn’t adults? If someone simply can’t sleep or has a hard time falling asleep it could be they had some physical problem or mental problem. “People who are totally blind, completely lacking the …show more content…
Stage one is a light sleep. Also known as being half-way asleep. Usually you can hear surroundings and even engage in conversation but you 're technically asleep. Stage two is called true sleep. True sleep begins usually 10 minutes after light sleep and only lasts about 20 minutes. During true sleep our heart rate and breathing slow down. Stage three is your deep sleep. In deep sleep our brain produces Delta waves, the waves have high amplitude and low frequency. Breathing and heart rate are at the lowest. Stage 4, the deepest sleep and the final stage. Our bodies can have a hard time waking up. If someone tries to wake you or your alarm goes off, you usually have a extremely hard time waking up. Many times we feel disoriented after being waken from stage 4 sleep. Stage 4 sleep might be the most important stage because your body is restoring, and growing tissue at this time. The blood flow to your muscles are increased and they become most relaxed. (Sleepfoundation.org) When people sleep only about 2 to 4 hours, they probably aren 't experiencing the full 4 stages of sleep the body requires. Other cool activity that happens when we sleep is REM sleep. or rapid eye movement sleep. REM sleep can happen 3-5 times during the stages of sleep. Usually when we are in stage 3 of the sleep cycle. Our brain is very active even if we are not conscious. REM sleep can cause blood pressure to rise and breathing to increase.