was tired, and my bed was calling my name. The drowsy smoke of sleep permeated my thoughts until it was all I could focus on. And that's when I finally got my idea- sleep! One of those biological processes necessary for humans to do work on a highly functioning level. Sleep, that thing that is constantly evaded by teenagers (be it for studying or otherwise), despite the fact that we need it the most while our bodies are still developing. Even though everyone does it, do we ever stop to ask why do we? Or how does it happen? For this post, I've decided to delve a little into that place of dreams, heavy sighs, and occasional drooling.
Sleep is defined as, “a naturally recurring state of mind characterized by altered consciousness,
relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced
interactions with surroundings”. Sleep is important because the body is in an anabolic state-
building up the proteins/necessary building blocks for the major body systems. While sleep is
building up the proteins/necessary building blocks for the major body systems. While sleep is
still a topic under much study in the scientific community, we understand that sleep is necessary
for homeostasis. In fact, scientists have developed research to show that sleep is a time for the brain to cleanse itself. This newly dubbed glymphatic system transports waste-heavy cerebrospinal fluid to recycle it within other cells.
Sleep is divided into 2 major parts- REM and non REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye
movement. In REM sleep, the body is more alert, this is the part where we usually dream. Non- REM sleep is characterized by a significant drop in energy use. During this time, the brain restores its supply of ATP. The body cycles between REM and non-REM, as it falls into deeper periods of sleeping. The body cycles and comes close to lucidness every 90 minutes or so, this is an evolutionary mechanism developed so as it keep humans alert in the case of danger or predators while in a vulnerable position.
Humans’ bodies are on a circadian rhythm, meaning that an internal clock regulates us so we
sleep at night. However, with industrialization and artificial light, humans now operate on more
shifted schedules. Also watch out guys- teens should be getting at least 8 hours per night!
Other intriguing factors of sleep include the ever-mysterious sleep disorders. These issues, arising from problems genetic or otherwise, have raised questions, theories and stories all on their own. Common disorders include sleepwalking, narcolepsy, insomnia, and a personal favorite, sleep paralysis (this occurs when the sleeper is lucid/half-asleep and yet paralyzed in their body, the possible dreams they may have can cause visual or auditory hallucinations to produce a surreal and somewhat terrifying effect). Scientists have linked sleep disorders with previous mental or physical trauma, alcoholism, mood disorders, anxiety, or drug usage.
As you can clearly see, sleep is one of those things we've barely begun to uncover. Things like how it can cause Alzheimer's, affect weight problems, cognitive function, and mood are all being discovered. That place where we spend our darkest hours can hold so much information on our brains and how they work! If you want to learn more, check this stuff out~~
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/10/sleep-ultimate-brainwasher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNhDkKAvxFk
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/max-text
No comments:
Post a Comment