Sleep

The importance of sleep is dawning on our society, a result perhaps of the many side effects of sleep deprivation. The study of sleep is quite recent, with most investigations taking place over the past 50 years.

Side effects of interrupted sleep include:

Hypertension
Poor Concentration, daytime fatigue and tiredness
Poor decision making, irritability

The long term effects of sleep problems we will see later in an essay are much more severe as this has already been mentioned and cuminate in long term memory lapses, heart injury, disease and finally premature death.

  I'm not asleep... but that doesn't mean I'm awake. - Author Unknown

Studies have revealed that it can take twice as long to perform tasks when you are deprived of sleep. There is a surprising relationship between accidents, injury and tiredness.

Poor sleep habits can result in further health problems, reducing you immune system as well as your ability to make desisions.

Spiritual

Our spiritual well being is perhaps linked to sleep.

Circadian Pattern

The human internal clock appears to follow a 24 hour pattern plus a few extra minutes, animals appear to follow a similar pattern less a few minutes. Birds and nature seem to wake a few minutes before the dawn whereas humans seem to always need a few extra minutes. The circadian pattern resets each morning by sunlight in both man and nature.

Chronotherapy

This is based on ideas that the effectiveness of medication can be enhanced or reduced by when it it is administered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotherapy

Types of Sleep

We appear to follow at rhythmical pattern as we move between the five known stages of sleep, each appear to have some advantage to the renewal of our mind and body.

NREM - None Rapid Eye Movement REM - Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

REM' Sleep appears to interest therapist most, since during this stage we experience our dreaming evidenced by the movement of our eyes during sleep, other changes include rapid breathing, increase in temperature, fluctuation or heart rates and blood pressure.

NREM We spend large amounts of time here, perhaps this is where our body is renewed? Slow steady breathing, cooler body temperature.

Dreams

The theory of dreams is fought with issues about interpretations and since we all dream, dreams best remembered are those that occur shortly before we wake.

Children Need Sleep

Teenagers need sleep more than any other age group, there are huge amounts of body and brain building taking place during this phase.

Quotes

Sleep is the interest we have to pay on the capital which is called in at death; and the higher the rate of interest and the more regularly it is paid, the further the date of redemption is postponed. - Arthur Schopenhauer.