Sleep refers to a condition by which the nervous system becomes inactive, postural muscles relax, the eyes close and consciousness goes into a state of suspension, and the condition recurs for several hours every night. Sleep has become a subject of interest to many researchers particularly those of psychology following study findings that indicate human beings need to have time for sleep for their general good health. Previous studies on research show that the hypothalamus part of the brain control sleep patterns and any damage on the part interferes with one’s sleep patterns. Overall, this paper seeks to analyze sleep and pay close attention to how it relates to psychology.
I have chosen to research sleep since I feel much has not been discovered yet. I also feel that previous researches in the area did not provide adequate findings to explain the condition. Every person sleeps at for a few hours during the night which makes the subject interesting because the finding will be of interest to almost everyone. The public requires more information on sleep since it affects them directly. Finding that information on the first-hand basis also explains my desire to conduct a study on the subject matter. Overall information about sleep from previous studies did not address the issues of concern that pertains to the topic which informed my decision to take on the subject.
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Furthermore, psychologists have indicated that sleep promotes good health in adults and remains necessary for children’s growth and development. I chose to research on this topic in a bid to establish the relationship between brain developments in infants with sleep. Sleep affects children's growth ( Buysse, 2014). Many people believe that when children get enough sleep they grow better and I have taken on the task to establish the validity of their argument and also to understand how sleep contributes to brain development. In general, health experts and psychologists advise parents to ensure that their children got enough sleep but gave little explanation over the same which explains why I research on this subject matter.
Sleep deprivation causes mood swings and restlessness to an individual. I am getting interested in this topic because I wanted to establish the science sleeplessness and mood swings. Understanding the relationship between the two will make it easy for me to understanding the reason why people behave in certain ways ( Buysse, 2014). Notably, after a sleepless night, one becomes restless for the rest of the day a phenomenon that baffles many people. This study will help me provide answers to such like questions and enlighten the society over the same.
Literature Review
Foulkes (2014) i ndicates sleep remains an essential part of the human routine and on average individuals spends one-third of their time sleeping. The article adds that sleep is as essential as food and water to human life since without it people cannot maintain or form pathways that allow the brain to create new memories and learn. Furthermore, sleep deprivation lowers concentration and slows down response. Loss of focus arises from fatigue as the body relaxes and functions slow down.
Importantly, sleep aids in some body functions including neuron communication. The author adds that during sleep, one’s body and brain remain active suggesting that sleep play a housekeeping role in that it helps remove toxins that build up in the mind when one is awake. Foulkes (2014) further indicates further that everyone needs sleep only that scientists have not discovered its biological purpose making it remain a mystery. However, the author suggests that the brain stays awake even as one sleep which explains why functions such as breathing continue even in sleep since they do not depend on one’s consciousness. Sleep affects nearly every tissue and system in the human body. Sleep affects the heart, brain, lungs, mood, immune function, metabolism and also disease resistance. Recent studies have established a close association between chronic deprivation of sleep or poor quality sleep with a heightened risk of disorders that encompass cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, and obesity. The risk of the above disorders explains the reason why health experts have persisted in their call for individuals to get enough sleep.
Sleep Stages
Sleep falls into two categories: rapid eye movement abbreviated as (REM) and non-REM sleep. Each of the sleep categories relates to particular neural activity and brain waves. People go through all the stages related to non-REM sleep sometimes during the night with deeper and longer REM periods occurring as the morning approaches ( Colace, 2018).
Stage 1 non-REM refers to the changeover where one moves from wakefulness to sleep and the period lasts for several minutes whereby the person’s heartbeat, eye movement and breathing slow down while muscles relax and twitch occasionally. The brain waves also slow from the regular daytime wakefulness patterns ( Aboalayon, Ocbagabir & Faezipour, 2014).
Stage Two non-REM sleep refers to a period of light sleep that precedes deep sleep. Breathing and heartbeat slow while muscles relax even more. The body temperature drops while eye movements come to a stop. Brainwave activity reduces pace which brief bursts of electrical occurrences coupled with a repeat of stage two sleep cycles ( Aboalayon, Ocbagabir & Faezipour, 2014).
Stage three non-REM sleep comes with a deep sleep that people need to feel refreshed when they wake up the next day. The period lasts a longer period during the first hours of the night. Heartbeat and breathing sink to their lowest levels even as muscles relax and it becomes a bit difficult to awaken such a person ( Aboalayon, Ocbagabir & Faezipour, 2014). The brain waves slow down completely.
Broadly, REM sleep occurs 90 minutes after sleeping where the eyes move quickly from one side to the other in the closed eyelids. The brainwave appears in mixed frequency become closer like the one experienced in wakefulness ( Aboalayon, Ocbagabir & Faezipour, 2014). One’s breathing becomes irregular and faster, blood pressure and heart rate increase nearly to the ones observed when one is awake. Dreaming occurs when one experiences REM sleep while some also occur during non-REM sleep. Leg and arm muscles assume temporary paralysis that prevents one from acting during dreams. Advancement in one’s age attracts less sleep during REM sleep. Memory consolidation takes both REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Hypothalamus refers to the part of the brain that controls sleep. The hypothalamus contains a suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN): thousands of cells that play the role of receiving information concerning light from the eye and control one’s behavior rhythm. Damages to the SCN causes erratic sleep during daytime as the individuals fail to match light-dark cycle with circadian rhythm.
Insomnia refers to habitual sleeplessness also inability to fall asleep. Insomnia occurs due to medical conditions, specific substances, biological factors, and unhealthy sleep habits. Noteworthy, Medical conditions that cause insomnia includes nasal allergies, arthritis, asthma, chronic pain, Parkinson’s disease, and low back pain. Notably, medications particularly those taken for nasal allergies, heart diseases, asthma, and depression can also cause insomnia. Importantly insomnia may indicate a symptom of and a particular sleep disorder.
The Concept of Dream
Explaining the act of dreaming had eluded scholars for a very long time until Carl Jung, and Sigmund Freud put forth their theories over the matter. Freud gave a theory that centered on the notion of repressed longing meaning that dreams allowed individuals to go through repressed wishes ( Diykh & Li, 2016). Jung who studied under Freud held the same notion but diverted a bit to indicate that dreams occur as a result of the body’s response to the occurrences that one has gone through in life particularly those that had great impact.
In my analysis, sleep plays a very crucial role in the healthy life of an individual in the sense that during sleep one’s brain cells replicate which explains why individuals wake up feeling refreshed even though they might have slept feeling exhausted. The body muscles also regain energy during sleep as the day’s activity exhaust every part of the body. People spend a lot of energy unconsciously while carrying out various activities and the cells in the muscles relax the relaxation that comes with sleep to regain energy.
I believe that sleep is necessary for the body because, during the act, most of the destroyed cells are repaired or replaced by new ones which is an essential process for the overall well-being of an individual. I also believe that sleep enables the brain to rid itself of toxins that accumulate during a person’s wakeful state. Accumulation of the toxins can have adverse effects on one’s overall health, and prolonged accumulation may lead to cell poisoning. Overall, sleep has a therapeutic impact on the body in that it allows muscles t regain energy and cells to undergo repair and replacements.
Everyone needs to sleep for at least six hours a day for the body to function properly. Human body undergoes many physiological processes that add toxins to the systems. Sleep reduces body functions and enables the body to focus on excreting the toxins. Importantly, sleep plays a significant role in human beings and understanding the mechanisms of sleep will allow individuals to appreciate and set aside time for sleeping.
References
Aboalayon, K. A., Ocbagabir, H. T., & Faezipour, M. (2014, May). Efficient sleep stage classification based on EEG signals. In Systems, Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT), 2014 IEEE Long Island (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
Buysse, D. J. (2014). Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter?. Sleep , 37 (1), 9-17.
Colace, C. (2018). Children's dreams: From Freud's observations to modern dream research . Routledge.
Diykh, M., & Li, Y. (2016). Complex networks approach for EEG signal sleep stages classification. Expert Systems with Applications , 63 , 241-248.
Foulkes, D. (2014). Dreaming: A cognitive-psychological analysis . Routledge.
