Why Do We Need Sleep?

Health Articles | February 24, 2010

Obviously, we are aware on how important sleep is. Whether we understand or not the full concept of what sleep can do to our bodies, we knew that having a day without sleep is terrible. Your eyes and body are heavy, your head hurts, you feel exhausted and you cannot concentrate. Your work and everyday function is greatly affected.

So, what is sleep anyway and why do we need it?

Sleep is a state wherein one is relatively suspended from sensory and motor activities. You can be totally or partially unconscious and while majority of your voluntary muscles are inactive. Before, it was thought that sleep is just a constant and regular block of time when you are not awake. With the advancement of science, scientists had determined that sleep plays a critical role in our body's immune system, our learning, memory, metabolism and other vital organ functions.

As we age, the time we are spending for sleep lessen. From 16 to 18 hours a day for newborns, adults on the average sleep for 7 to 8 hours daily. And because we are all aware to this fact, many older people ignore their sleeping problems, thinking that it is normal. Adults still need 8 hours of sleep. How well you function for the day's tasks and works greatly depends on the quantity and the quality of sleep you had.

Sleep is beneficial for us to react quickly, think clearly, improve our concentration and enable us to create memories. As a matter of fact, the learning pathway in the brain is very active during sleep. Losing even 1 hour of sleep has its price. Your ability to do focus and do physical tasks is greatly decreased resulting to lower performance in school or at work. Also, you tend to make wrong decisions when you are sleepy placing you at more risk.

Sleep also affects our mood. Lack of sleep is often linked to irritability, troubled relationships and poor behavior. Moreover, those who are chronically deprived of sleep are prone to depression.

Most importantly, it is good to our health. Sufficient sleep decreases our risk in having high blood pressure, heart problems and other medical conditions. It is also during sleep that certain hormones that enhances our immune system are at its peak. This might be one reason why a good night's sleep helps you from getting sick.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matt Clark is the Founder of https://www.kavinace.com. Kavinace by NeuroScience can help to improve your sleep and reduce your anxiety. This natural sleep product provides the neurotransmitter support your body needs for a calm, restful day and night.