Student Article High School Science Journal Author: Connor Creagh

Sleep

July 19, 2007

One never really wonders why we sleep; it’s just kind of something that happens. Sleep has a major effect on our physical and mental health in a lot of ways that scientists are just beginning to understand. Sleep is vital to our bodies because we need to give our body a rest and prepare it for the next day. If your body receives a good night’s sleep, it’s like getting a tiny vacation.

      There are two different general types of sleep and five total stages of sleep. The two different types of sleep are REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. Non-REM is responsible for 75-80% of our total sleep time and accounts for four of the five stages of sleep. During stage one, one’s eyes are closed, but if woken up, one probably will feel as if they haven’t slept. Stage one lasts for five to ten minutes. When the body enters stage two, one’s body temperature increases and heart rate decreases. At this stage, one is getting prepared to enter deep sleep. Stage two accounts for about 50% of one’s total sleep time. Stage three is part of slow-wave sleep and its main purpose is to transfer into Stage four sleep. Stage three occupies about 5% of total sleep time. Stage four is similar to stage three but more intense. It is extremely difficult to wake someone while in stage four sleep. Stage four is when things like bed wetting, sleepwalking, night-mares, and sleep-talking take place. Stage five is the most unique stage of sleep and is the only stage that takes place during REM sleep. Intense dreaming may occur during stage five sleep because there is a large amount of cerebral activity in the brain. Dreaming is inspired by the pons (structure in brain-stem) and almost always occurs during the REM stage of sleep. In stage five, muscle paralysis occurs so that our bodies cannot act out the powerful dreams occurring during this stage. The five stages of sleep occur cyclically and an average stage lasts 110 minutes.

      Missing sleep puts your body in a horrible mood and should be avoided if at all possible. After missing one night’s sleep, a person will be cranky and become tired easily. After missing two nights of sleep, it is very hard to concentrate, mistakes are common, and one’s attention span becomes horrible. If one misses three nights of sleep, a person will start to hallucinate, and it is impossible to think clearly. Someone who only gets a few hours of sleep a night experiences problems similar to someone who misses a couple of nights of sleep. Missing sleep can also make one more prone to disease and stunt children’s growth. Studies show that sleep deprivation is more likely to cause car accidents than drinking alcohol. Without refueling our minds and bodies with sleep. our judgment can be severely affected. Missing sleep will make it much more difficult to function  in life.

The best piece of advice from experts in the field of sleep is to set a schedule. Try your best to go to bed the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning. Although sleeping more hours on weekends feels good, try to resist the temptation. Sleeping in on weekends makes it harder to wake up on Mondays because your sleep cycles are used to a different waking time. Upsetting your sleeping schedule can also lead to insomnia. Another tip is to avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol at all times, but especially at night. Caffeine performs like a stimulant and results in keeping people awake. Common drinks which contain caffeine include coffee, chocolate milk, soft-drinks, and non-herbal teas. People who smoke cigarettes usually sleep lightly and wake up early in the morning due to nicotine cravings. Alcohol keeps people in lighter stages of sleep; preventing them from entering REM sleep. Lastly, try to relax before sleep. Any activity that relaxes you is a great thing to do before bed time. A good example is parents reading or singing to their children before bedtime. This helps calm the child down, making it easier to go to sleep. A good way to incorporate relaxing activities into your schedule is to connect restful activities with sleep.  Sleep is imperative to our success in this world and an average person should be getting eight hours a night. 

WORKS CITED

1.  “Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. October 13, 2006. March 5^th, 2007. <http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm#Tips>

2.  Brain, Marshall. “How Sleep Works.” How Stuff Works. January 9^th, 2006. March 6^th, 2007. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/sleep2.htm>

“Sleep Drive and Your Internal Body Clock.” National Sleep Foundation. February 25^th, 2006.  March 5^th, 2007. <http://www.sleepfoundation.org/site/c.huIXKjM0IxF/b.2419129/k.23A7/Sleep_Drive_and_Your_Internal_Body_Clock.htm>

 
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