The discovery of REM sleep proved that sleep is not a dormat state
for the body, but a mental active period during which dreaming occurs.
During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep there is intense activity in the
brain and rapid burst of eye movement under the eyelids. Your body is
still during this stage but your brain is very active. Scientist also
discovered that the body is paralysed during REM sleep and the brain at
it's most active. To imagine this paralysis when one is not dreaming is
a horrible notion,since in many cases can be violent and active.
Interestingly, the paralysis is absent during non-dreaming sleep.
Here, Sleepwalking and sleeptalking can take place usually
in the deepest stage of non-dreaming sleep. Have you ever tried to wake a
sleepwalker or make sense of what they are saying? Sleepwalkers are difficult to
arouse,even more than dreamer in REM sleep are. The best course of action is to
simply usher them back to bed without trying to wake the. They would feel
disoriented and confused. They may even act in a violent manner..BE WARNED!!
While we sleep, our senses of hearing,touch,taste,sight, and sound no longer
function in the same manner as we are awake. We are only able to utilize
these senses in an emergency. For example you might smell something burning
in the kitchen or you'll hear a loud Thunderstorm. Generally while we sleep
our sleeping systems are working free of input from the outside world. And
amazingly, some people have vivid dreams-many of which involve all the senses.
When we sleep well, we wake up feeling refreshed and alert for our daily activities. Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life.
To get the most out of our sleep, both quantity and quality are important. Teens need at least 8½ hours—and on average 9¼ hours—a night of uninterrupted sleep to leave their bodies and minds rejuvenated for the next day. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite.Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities.
Sleep helps us thrive by contributing to a healthy immune system,and can also balance our appetites by helping to regulate levels of the hormones ghrelin and leptin, which play a role in our feelings of hunger and fullness. So when we’re sleep deprived, we may feel the need to eat more, which can lead to weight gain.
The one-third of our lives that we spend sleeping, far from being“unproductive,” plays a direct role in how full, energetic and successful the other two-thirds of our lives can be.
