Why Do We Sleep Oct 18th

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Sleep is regulated by our body in the same way that eating, drinking, and breathing are. This shows that sleep has a major impact on our overall health and well-being. Let’s compare the function of sleep to one of our life-sustaining activities: Eating. Internal drives control both eating and sleeping patterns. Going without food causes us to feel hungry, whereas going without sleep causes us to feel sleepy. Similar to how eating satisfies hunger and ensures that we get the nutrition we require, sleeping satisfies tiredness and ensures that we get the rest we require. Now we will gain more insights into other aspects of sleep.

We sleep for about one-third of our lives. During sleep, the brain retains new information and eliminates toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and rearrange, allowing the brain to function normally. Cells are repaired, energy is restored, and chemicals such as hormones and proteins are released. These biological processes are vital to our overall well-being and our bodies cannot function properly without them.

According to the energy conservation theory, sleep's major job is to minimize an individual's energy demand and expenditure during certain times of the day or night, particularly when searching for food is inefficient. Both body temperature and calorie needs decrease during sleep, resulting in lowered energy metabolism. 

An adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Children and teenagers, especially those under the age of five, need a lot more sleep than adults. The majority of people experience difficulty sleeping at some point in their lives. Some reasons may be work schedules, daily worries, a noisy bedroom, and medical conditions.

Circadian rhythms are 24-hour cycles that run in the background as part of the body's internal clock to carry out vital jobs and processes. One important example of the role of circadian rhythms is the sleep-wake cycle. Light exposure during the day stimulates the master clock to transmit signals that cause alertness and help us stay awake and active. As night falls, the master clock starts producing melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone, and then sends out signals to keep us asleep all night.

So what happens when we sleep? The two key phases of sleep are the Non-REM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep and the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. From its name, Non-REM sleep is defined by the absence of eye movements, whereas REM sleep, in which dreaming occurs, is characterized by rapid eye movements. It is said that 5 minutes after waking up, we’ve forgotten 50% of our dreams. 

Oversleeping is considered a medical condition. People with this experience excessive tiredness throughout the day, which is not frequently eased by napping. They sleep for unusual and extended durations of time at night as a result of it. However, not everyone who oversleeps suffers from a sleep disorder. Oversleeping can also be caused by the consumption of certain substances, such as alcohol and some prescription medications. And there are also others who just want to sleep a lot.

When our body is deprived of sleep, it causes a negative impact on our overall health. Short-term problems include lack of alertness, excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired memory, relationship stress, quality of life, and being prone to accidents. Exercise and good sleeping habits make falling asleep easier and can give you a better quality of life for many years to come.