Understanding Sleep Articles | Sleep

By: J.Morgan

We all know what sleep is, but do we understand it? Do we realize the awesome benefits it gives us? Sleep restores and refreshes our body and mind so that we can live a healthy happy life. Sleep is necessary to all species. Sleep is necessary for life to continue. It is very important to get the right amount of quality sleep.

Sleep is necessary to renew the mind and body. Studies show the connection is has to preventing disease, hormonal balance, the proper functioning of the brain and the immune system. You need sleep to restore your body and heal.  Individual cells will repair and restore themselves during sleep. This is only a few of the reasons we need to get a good nights sleep.

Sleep deprivation is a serious matter; studies have shown that it can cause hallucinations if a person is deprived of certain sleep patterns long enough. Just losing sleep for a night or so will only cause minor symptoms, such as tiredness, lack of focus and inability to concentrate well. A long term sleeping problem will lead to much more serious problems such as going to sleep while driving, severe depression, and a sense of being out of touch with reality.

Scientists have been studying sleep for a long time. Many advances have been made over the years to better study and understand sleep and the effect it has on our mind and body. A person will be admitted to the hospital for a few nights for sleep testing. They are hooked up to a machine which monitors the impulses generated by the brain while they are sleeping. In this way the doctor can tell what type of sleeping problems the individual has and help the patient take steps to resolve the problem.

There are different stages of sleep. REM sleep is one that is discussed a lot. This refers to the time period when you are dreaming.  REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement; this is what happens when you dream. Your eyes move back and forth very quickly during this stage of sleep. It is essential to go through this stage because it helps the central nervous system develop properly.  Learning and developmental problems can occur in individuals who don’t get enough REM sleep.

It is important that you go through all the stages of sleep. If not it can have serious consequences to your mental and physical health and well being. You must get enough sleep for your body and mind to heal. Severe sleeping problems that remain untreated can have very serious effects in your daily life.