Why Your Brain Needs Sleep!

Sleep is a natural, recurring state of body and mind, characterized primarily by decreased sleep activity, decreased sensory activities, decreased muscle activity and impaired sensory integration during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and decreased interactions with external environment during non-Rapid Eye Movement sleep. Sleep can be broadly classified into three main categories: light, rest, or sleep. The second type, Rest, is associated with falling asleep and having no memory of the sleep or waking cycles; while light sleep or stage sleep is associated with awakenings and remembering of previous sleep or wake cycles. There are also non-restorative sleep cycles such as hyperparaventric sleep, polysomnographic sleep stages, rapid eye movement sleep (REMS), and catalepsy.

Sleep occurs when a person is asleep or wide awake but unable to move. Muscles at rest are inactive. As we move to the next day, those same muscles start to become active, resulting in sleeping. Therefore, people who do not sleep well throughout the night may wake up feeling lethargic, lacking energy, having muscle twitches, irritable, overwhelmed, having problems concentrating, unable to concentrate, and even having hallucinations.

We know that sleep and the brain work in different ways. During sleep, the brain waves slow down, allowing us to focus on less stimulating tasks. We tend to remember information better when we are sleeping. Some researchers believe that this phenomenon is caused by the strengthening of brain pathways in the temporarily sleep deprived.

While awake, our body usually undergoes many subtle changes, including increased heart rate, breathing, brain activity, nervousness, sweating, and much more. As we move from one stage of sleep to another, our brain activity also changes, causing our thoughts to turn to other things, as well as the sensation of floating. When we first wake up in the morning, we usually have a burst of energy and have been walking around for awhile. However, if we do not get back to sleep, our energy levels can drop considerably and we may find ourselves dragging.

Now, let’s consider the four stages of sleep, which are light, deep, restful, and awake. As we go through each stage of sleep, we will find ourselves waking up at different times. For example, if we go from deep sleep to light, we may find ourselves waking up at a little earlier every day. We will then sleep again, awaken again, then sleep again, until we reach the fourth stage, which is awaken able. However, if we go without sleep for more than four days in a row, we will be considered to be sleep deprived. If this happens for six weeks, we are considered to be very exhausted.

In short, our brain functions need sleep in order to operate properly, and without sleep, we will have problems with concentration, mood, memory, and weight loss. You cannot build muscle, run, or exercise without sleep. I hope you take away something from this article concerning sleep and its importance in your life. Sleep is important!