Functions of Sleep

594 Words2 Pages

Functions of Sleep

"Works Cited Missing"

Sleep serves an important function as we spend about one third or our

lives asleep. Theories of why we sleep can be separated into two

explanations Restorative theories, and Ecological theories.

The restoration theory claims that sleep enables the body to make

repairs after the exertions of the day. Evidence for the role of SWS

comes for the hypothesis that if SWS serves the purpose of repairing

the body then physical exercise should lead to more SWS.

Shapiro et al. (1981) studied the sleep patterns of long distance

runners. After a 57 mile race they found that the runners slept 1.5

hours longer than normal on the 2 nights following the race. In

particular, there was an especially large increase in the amount of

time devoted to SWS. However, Horne & Minard (1985) did a more

controlled lab study and found that sleep length was not affected by a

series of exhausting cognitive & physical activities. The participants

went to sleep more quickly but with no increase in sleep duration.

Further evidence for restoration theory comes from total sleep

deprivation studies. Instead of targeting either REM or SWS these

studies involve the participant not sleeping for as long as possible.

Participants were volunteers and it was also a small sample.

Therefore, the findings of the research cannot be generalised to the

wider population.

Oswald observed patients recovering from injuries to their central

nervous system. He found an increase in the quantity of REM sleep

which suggests that there was a recovery process going on in the

brain. There is also a correlation in the quantity of REM sleep and

brain weight increase in newborn babies, their rapid brain growth is

due to their long REM sleep.

The restoration perspective also states that sleeping is a way of

conserving and making important neurotransmitters. These are important

to our alertness during the day as it helps the transmission of nerve

impulses. As time passes during the day, neurotransmitter levels fall.

During REM sleep neurons synthesise new neurotransmitters for release

Show More
Related

  • How Does Sleep Affect Memory Consolidation?

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2008). Reactivation and consolidation of memory during sleep. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 188-192. doi: 10.1111/j.14678721.2008.00572.x

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Stress On College Athletes

    2023 Words  | 5 Pages

    College athletes have a lot of mandatory obligations and will do most anything to achieve the highest level of success in their respective sports as possible. However, these athletes are endangering their health by acquiring sleep debt by sleeping less than the required ten hours per night. This sleep deprivation can cause lack of concentration and decreased performance in these athletes, which commonly leads to injuries. By experts, trainers, and coaches informing these athletes of both the consequences of sleep deprivation on athletic performance and rate of injury, and the benefits on both academic and athletic performance of getting enough sleep, the sleep habits of college athletes can significantly change for the better. This would lead to healthier athletes, better students, and a happier college athlete population.

    Read More

  • Understanding the Five Stages of Sleep

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Sleep Cycle: There are five stages of sleep. Stage one is where we start to drift off to sleep.

    Read More

  • Sleep Physiology And Chronobiology Essay

    1611 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ep. There are events in sleep that are associated with synaptic modification, which is the basis of brain rewiring that enhances cognition. There is evidence that sleep accelerated transcription of cortical genes that are associated with protein synthesis9. These newly generated proteins are known to be required for strengthening of existing synapses and building new synapses. Studies have found increase of factors associated with brain-plasticity and enhanced learning during sleep5. These factors include phosphorylated or activated CREB, a transcriptional factor, as well as Arc, BDNF, and NGFI-A. These evidence help explain how sleep can influence brain rewiring through synaptic modification. This mechanism helps explain how sleep can modify the brain and ultimately enhance learning. This is a strong evidence that supports the synaptic downscaling hypothesis.

    Read More

  • Effects of sleep deprivation

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sleep deprivation (SD) is a common phenomenon encountered by many individuals with different professions. [3] These professions include healthcare, security and drivers working at night. [1] The average length of sleep that an individual needs is between 7 and 8.5h per day. [quoted in 1] However, this varies between individuals with different age and gender. Pilcher and Huffcutt found that both total and partial SD give adverse effects on human functioning. [2] Researchers have concluded that sleep deprivation affects cognitive performance [1,2], motor performance and mood of an individual. [2]

    Read More

  • Sleep Deprivation

    3833 Words  | 8 Pages

    Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive and to function in day to day operations, but not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people can survive on very little sleep, i.e. five hours a night, and some people need a lot of sleep, to the extend that they are sleeping up to 10 to sometimes 15 hours a night (Nature, 2005). According to Wilson (2005) the general rule states that most people need from seven to eight hours of sleep. The deprivation of sleep in our society in continually increasing with the demands in society increasing work loads, the myth that a few hours of sleep is only necessary to function properly and that sleep is sometimes considered as killing time (Nature, 2005). Sometimes sleep deprivation is also caused by other situations like sleep disorders, i.e. sleep apnea, chronic insomnia or medical conditions such as stress (Wilson, 2005).

    Read More

  • Oswald's Restoration Theory of Sleep

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    A restorative theory claims that sleep is used to repair the body including the brain. Oswald suggests that slow wave sleep is when body repair occurs and REM sleep is when the brain is repaired. This is supported by the fact that there is an increase in the secretion of growth hormones during SWS. This could also explain why brain activity levels are high during REM sleep, and similar to when awake.

    Read More

  • Psychology

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    I realize that a brief summary article like this does not provide all the details of the experimental methodology, but a couple of things that were reported in the article struck me as curious. The researchers studied physical functioning (cortisol levels, etc.) in men who had a normal night’s sleep (eight hours in bed) the first three nights of the study, followed by a period of sleep deprivation (four hours in bed) the next six nights of the study, and finally a period of sleep recovery (12 hours in bed) the last seven nights of the study. In reporting the effects on the body (the discussion of glucose metabolism, in the fifth paragraph of the article) the author’s compare the sleep deprivation stage only to the sleep recovery stage, not to normal sleep. This seems to me like doing an experiment on drunkenness and comparing the drunk stage to the hangover stage, without ever reporting what happens when the person is sober.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior

    1930 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture. Every day there seems to be twice as much work and half as much time to complete it in. This results in either extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time. While some people may like to believe that they can train their bodies to not require as much sleep as they once did this belief is false (1). Sleep is needed to regenerate certain parts of the body, especially the brain, so that it may continue to function optimally. After periods of extended wakefulness or reduced sleep neurons may begin to malfunction, visibly effecting a person's behavior. Some organs, such as muscles, are able to regenerate even when a person is not sleeping so long as they are resting. This could involve lying awake but relaxed within a quite environment. Even though cognitive functions might not seem necessary in this scenario the brain, especially the cerebral cortex, is not able to rest but rather remains semi-alert in a state of "quiet readiness" (2). Certain stages of sleep are needed for the regeneration of neurons within the cerebral cortex while other stages of sleep seem to be used for forming new memories and generating new synaptic connections. The effects of sleep deprivation on behavior have been tested with relation to the presence of activity in different sections of the cerebral cortex.

    Read More

  • Sleep Deprivation Among College Students

    2230 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).

    Read More

  • The Sleep Disorders

    2324 Words  | 5 Pages

    We experience two phases of sleep which repeat themselves every ninety to one hundred and ten minutes, achieving approximately five complete cycles per night. The phases are non- rapi...

    Read More

  • Sleep Essay: The Need For Sleep

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    How often have you ever woken up and wondered why sleep is needed in the first place and questioned the importance of it? Those are very popular questions that many humans ask today, as sleep is an essential part of a person’s health and wellbeing, yet people all over the world each night do not get enough sleep. This research essay will be looking at the nature of sleeping, the importance of getting a good night’s rest and the consequences if a person does not get enough sleep. A good night's sleep is incredibly important for health and making a person feel better. Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and can have many beneficial factors for the body, mind, and so much more as “ an average human sleeps

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech: Taking Care Of Sleep

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    Central idea : Sleep is vital to our health and well-being throughout our life, therefore, in order to protect our mental and physical health, quality of life, and safety, we must get an enough quality sleep at the right times.

    Read More

  • Why we should have enough sleep

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sleep is very important for human beings. Sleeping means taking rest for every person and each person spends one-third of his lifetime sleeping. Without sleeping, no one can exist in this world. Sleeping is essential for a person’s health and well-being throughout his life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times helps all people protect their mental health, physical health and safety. A person who does not get enough sleep might suffer from mental disorders, diseases and even harmful situations. Therefore, it is important for every human being to have enough sleep.

    Read More

  • Living an Abundant Life: Loving Oneself

    1662 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wells, M., & Vaughn, B. V. (2012). Poor Sleep Challenging the Health of a Nation. Neurodiagnostic Journal,52(3), 233-249.

    Read More

More about Functions of Sleep

Open Document