THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP The importance and effects of sleep Nguyen Tien Dat IBL61DH Nguyen Thao Linh December 23rd, 2020 THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP The Importance of sleep Ever since the beginning of humanity as well as the other forms of living creatures, sleep has been one of the most rudimentary functions of our organic body Hence, many of us still not treasure the sleep as much as it needed therefore lead to insufficient sleep which can harm to human’s both physical and mental health This research focuses on how a sleep works, the impacts of insufficient sleep, particularly to our human body both physically and mentally Finally, how to get a quality sleep First, we need to find out how a sleep works or what happens when we sleep We can understand that sleep is just simply an act of rest of our body after a long hard working day but its more complicated When we sleep, we will go through two phases: rapid eyes movement, also known as REM and non-rapid eyes movements sleep (non-REM) sleep This cycles repeats itself every 80 or 100 minutes Normally this cycles happens about four to six times per night, there is a chance you will wake up briefly between cycles Additionally, there are four stages (3 stages during non-REM sleep and the final stage in REM sleep) On the first stage, within minutes of nodding off your brain increases theta waves, reduces alpha waves and your eyes movements slow down, this is a light stage where you are somewhat alert and can be easily awaken On stage 2, this stage takes about half of our sleep time, this stage is marked by spindles, briefly increases in brain waves frequency The spindles are connected to motor learning; in other words, your ability to learn how to play new sports or new pieces of technology might be related new sport might be related to the density of the spindles Mount Sinai Sleep Experts recommend taking a 10 to 20-minute power nap which occurs mostly in stages and if you're looking for a quick alertness boost Stage 3, this stage of the beginning THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP of deep sleep when your brain begins producing slow or delta waves at this point it becomes a little harder for you to be awakened Finally, REM sleep, adult spend about 20% of sleep time in the stage while infant spend about 50% During REM sleep your eyes move quickly in different directions, the body's muscles are paralyzed, breathing and heart rate become erratic and vivid dreams can occur in this stage The purpose of REM sleep still considers as a biologic mystery despite our understanding of biochemistry and neurobiology Second, we will talk about the effect of sleep on physical health as well our mental health First, we all know that sleep has a significant impact on our brain While we are sleeping, the brain gets to rest and refresh itself to assist your learning and keeping information for the next day Studies show that a decent night sleep enhance your learning skill, whether you are practicing a new sports or playing a new musical instrument In addition, sleep also helps boosting your ability to concentrate, make decisions and be creative Studies also show that sleep deficiency alters activity in some section of the brain If you are facing with insufficient sleep, you may have difficulty making decisions, dealing with problem, controlling your emotions and behaviors, Sleep deficiency also responsible for many negative mental illnesses such as depression, suicide and stress Sleep occurs about a third of our life, therefore, it has an important role to our physical health As such, sleep helps in the progress of healing and repairing your heart together with blood circulation Insufficient sleep may lead to several infectious diseases For example, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, diabetes and strokes Lacking of sleep may also have the high chance of causing obesity For example, a study on teenagers show that the risk of getting obesity higher with every lost hour of sleep Moreover, sleep also helps maintaining a good heath by balancing the hormones production which makes your feel full (leptin) or hungry THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP (ghrelin) When your sleep is insufficient, the lever of leptin decreases and the lever of ghrelin increases In other words, you will feel hungrier compare to when you are well-rested Additionally, sleep also has impact on the reaction of our body to insulin- a hormone which regulate the blood glucose (sugar) level Sleep deficiency can result in the higher amount than normal blood sugar which may increase your chance of getting diabetes Moreover, sleep supports our body's growth and development Deep sleep will trigger the body to release a hormone which boosts normal growth in children and teenagers This hormone also enhances muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teenagers and adults Sleep also has a small role in the puberty and fertility progress Your immune system relies mostly on sleep to stay healthy It works as a defensive function against foreign and dangerous substances Continuous sleep deprivation can change your immune system For example, lacking of sleep can weaken your immune system, makes you more vulnerable to common infections .Furthermore, not only does sleep affect your physical body but also your mental health as well, especially insomnia Many specific mental health problems and neurodevelopmental disorders are caused by insufficient sleep Lacking of sleep and other sleeps problems can easily be the cause of depression One analysis of 21 different studies found that people who experience insomnia have two-fold risk of developing depression over those who not have problems sleeping (Baglioni C, 2011) This has risen the question of whether improving people’s sleep might actually lower the chance of getting depression Similar to other psychological condition, sleep is in a close relationship with anxiety People tend to be anxious as they experience more sleep disturbances, sleep deprivation can also be a contribution to feelings of anxiety This can become a long term cycle of sleep and anxiety problems Moreover, having troubles with sleeping can become a risk factor for THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP developing anxiety disorder A study has shown that sleep problems may be a predictor for generalized anxiety disorder in children and teens between the age of and 16 (Shanahan L, 2014) People who struggle with sleeping problems may become more likely to developing anxiety condition, especially when their sleep problems are prolonged and left untreated Coping with feelings of anxiety can be that much more difficult when you are tired of chronic sleep disturbances Because of this, poor sleep can make the symptom of PTSD – commonly known as post-traumatic stress disorder affecting between 80% to 90% of people with the condition, it is also believed to play an important role in both the development and maintenance of this disorder However, even people with healthy body and mind can experience bad mental health effects because of insufficient sleep For example, one study has found that acute sleep deprivation led to an increase in anxiety and distress levels in healthy adults (Babson KA, 2010) So while you might not even if you normally not experience a great deal of anxiety, poor sleep may leave you feeling agitated and distraught Bipolar disorder is very common among people with sleep disturbances This disorder can consist of insufficient sleep, irregular sleep-wake cycles or even nightmares Bipolar disorder is classified as the alternating periods between depressed and elevated moods Changing in sleep patterns can be the cause of this condition as it also play a role in the progress of the condition, treatment outcomes as well as the individual’s lifestyle So if you are having bipolar disorder, make sure to discuss with your doctor to find a proper treatment to your sleep difficulties Besides there are more mental disorders causing by insufficient sleep like ADHD ( Attention -deficit hyperactivity disorder), PTSD ( Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder),… THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP Finally, I will show you the strategies to for getting enough sleep There are many steps you could take to improve your sleep habits The more enough sleeps you get every night, the happier and more productive you may find you are during the day It is very often that sleep is the first problem that busy people have to squeeze out of their schedule Organizing time to sleep will ensure a good health as well as your current well-being and in the future There are many ways to improve your sleeps Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day helps your body to form a sleep habit, making it easier to get a decent amount of sleep as you need In addition, try to keep a same sleep schedule during weekends and weeknights, limit the difference between weekends sleep and weekdays sleep with no more than an hour Staying up late and overslept in weekends can interfere in your body's sleep-wake pattern Also, getting an hour before bed for a quiet time by avoiding intense exercise and bright light, for example, your smartphone or computer screen The bright atmosphere makes its harder for our brain to fall into deep sleep Another option is not to consume any heavy or large meals before bedtime a few hours because the digestion process may disrupt your sleep You should not use nicotine or caffeine when you need to sleep They are stimulants and both can affect your sleeping patterns, for example, the duration of caffeine is hours, which means having a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can easily cause temporary insomnia at night It is advised by scientists that you should be physically active during daytime, which helps you fall asleep easier and have a better sleep experience In addition, taking a hot bath or having a warm cup of milk are also very effective relaxation techniques before bed In conclusion, a proper sleep brings lots of benefits to our body, both physically and mentally, contributes to maintain a heathy lifestyle as well as reduces the risk of infectious THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and even strokes Nowadays, more and more people having trouble with their sleeping and their knowledge about sleeping is still limited Understanding this problem, my research has shown the importance of sleep as well as its impact on our body both physically and mentally, therefore propose possible treatments to help them improve their sleeping quality THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP Baglioni C, Battagliese G, Feige B, et al Insomnia as a predictor of depression: a meta-analytic evaluation of longitudinal epidemiological studies J Affect Disord 2011;135(1-3):10-9 doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.01.011 Shanahan L, Copeland WE, Angold A, Bondy CL, Costello EJ Sleep problems predict and are predicted by generalized anxiety/depression and oppositional defiant disorder J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2014;53(5):550–558 doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2013.12.029 Babson KA, Trainor CD, Feldner MT, Blumenthal H A test of the effects of acute sleep deprivation on general and specific self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms: an experimental extension J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry 2010;41(3):297–303 doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.02.008 THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP 10 .. .THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP The Importance of sleep Ever since the beginning of humanity as well as the other forms of living creatures, sleep has been one of the most rudimentary functions of. .. balancing the hormones production which makes your feel full (leptin) or hungry THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP (ghrelin) When your sleep is insufficient, the lever of leptin decreases and the lever of ghrelin... Lacking of sleep may also have the high chance of causing obesity For example, a study on teenagers show that the risk of getting obesity higher with every lost hour of sleep Moreover, sleep also