Category: Sleep

Most people will agree that in the modern lifestyle, social and economic demands require one to cut back on sleep to achieve more or have better financial benefits. Although the sleeping patterns are natural and most people follow a certain fashion of sleeping such as during night, the sleep periods are different depending on age or other factors.

Today’s human lifestyles have demands that forces people to alter/regulate the sleeping patterns for better social economic benefits. Majority of us consider that consequences of depriving ourselves some sleep are justifiable due to material gains.

Statement of intentions

I often suffer from taut financially demands/situations, which forces a reaction of regulating or managing my sleep patterns. Time management is an integral part of life that promotes my social-economic development. This argumentative paper supports the act of using depressants during sleep time to ensure alertness, particularly during daytime in order to meet economic and other social demands.

The paper also holds up the notion that, today it is important to control the sleeping patterns, to conform to the lifestyle demands. Various depressants thus assist in boosting alertness in order to meet my diverse social demands. The drugs are mainly used generally to reduce the sleep delays, thus enabling one to utilize sleep-time to the maximum.

Arguable Position

I often use powerful depressants to overcome sleep-time delays, and thus utilize the shortened sleeping time to meet the next daytime demands especially work demands that cause fatigue easily. The depressants also assist in avoiding insomnia and time taken to fall into sleep or other common sleep interruptions.

Taking the depressants ensures that I utilize the limited sleep-time maximally, for instance 4 or 5 hours is enough, in order to meet the next day’s work demands. I also utilize the weekend’s extra time and sleep more or compensate the weekdays’ accumulated sleep debts.

According to Dement and Vaughan in “Sleep Debt and the Mortgaged Mind” there are depressants meant for giving support to people who experience sleeping difficulties especially the elderly, since sleeping difficulties emerge with age or due to body disorders such as insomnia or delayed sleeping patterns (460).

The depressants may have various side effects such as changing the chemical state of one’s body, when used in excess. The drugs are also addictive when used over long period of time (Dement and Vaughan, 460).

There are a set of sleeping rhythms that determine body functions such as alertness or jet lags, which are often experienced due to change of sleep pattern.

In their writing named, “Sleep Debt and the Mortgaged Mind”, Dement and Vaughan indicate that understanding the effects of sleep indebtedness and processes of managing the problem can assist in improvement of the daily progress, and thus avoid injuries associable to insomnia such as diminished lifestyles (537).

However, our daily activities are dynamic and too demanding such that our sleep patterns keep experiencing the lapses.

Depressants ensure that time is not wasted before falling asleep thus guarantees that the body remains alert during daytime. Most people want to have more day activities because they need to work as much as possible, while sleep as little as they can, especially those on contract basis.

My personal work patterns

I am compensated on contractual basis, meaning, “My input determines the output”. I always work a couple of extra hour whenever possible every night due to timed demands from clients.

I feel that compromising the extra hours enables me to meet the requirements particularly due to expectation for timely delivery, and this does not really affect my daily routines as long as I catch some good sleep preferably uninterrupted hours.

I have never suffered from any notable relapse such as moodiness, poor performance logs, lower energy levels or poor alertness but from time to time, I use the depressants. I therefore strongly disagree with the concept that slight alterations of sleeping patterns can affect the ability to think and respond accordingly during the day.

The slight sleep deprivation is compensated by the quick body reaction to sleep during bedtime. There are thus no chances of suffering from cardiovascular difficulties, lowered energy levels or poor physical health.

It is possible to work with diverse sleep schedules but one requires various adjustments to accommodate the natural body reactions. It does not take long before fitting a chosen pattern, and the pattern only lasts a couple of days before further adjustments.

The most important fact about sleep lies on the quality. Depressants assists me to have an uninterrupted sleep, thus the reason why I need only a few hours as opposed to 8 or 9 hours sleep session that are full of sleep–related anguishes. Any extra sleeping hours do not count as a compensation but lost time.

Lastly, I always make up the lost time by clearing some of the accumulated sleep with long weekend sleep patterns. In line with Dement and Vaughan’s discoveries, this is good way of compensating piled up sleep (460). Contrary to findings, the depressants assist to accommodate any form of sleep change whenever I need to adjust for or from a weekend schedule.

Counterarguments

Justification of Depressants

We compromise sleep in many ways, yet just like the exercises or nutrition, sleep is an essential quantity of life, which determines healthiness and happiness of a person.

According to Martin, the quality of work has direct relation to quality of sleep that one gets (462). Sleeping requires strict planning as opposed to following daily procedures as a measure of enhancing better productivity, creativity due to mental sharpness, emotional harmonization, and physical vitality.

Understanding Sleep

In line with Epstein, sleep does not mean shutting down the functioning of the brain to rest, the brain remains busy and ready to oversee a variety of biological upholds such as refreshing the active cells in preparation for next day’s tasks (471). Lack of enough hours of sleep therefore means that we compromise the level of communication; therefore, it is not possible to work, learn or communicate effectively as required by one’s honest potentials.

In proportion to Epstein conjecture, lack of sleep is the main cause of both mental and physical breakdown. Sleeplessness is the root cause of serious health conditions such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, high blood sugars, high blood pressure, obesity and premature deaths (471).

People think that shortening the sleep time to archive better success is essential to the degree of enhancing better economic overturns. The acts eventually affect our social-economic lifestyles due to poor performance or failures associable to fatigue.

The current social and economic demands are causing people to choose between productivity requirements and health needs. The required amount of sleep determines quality and quantity of work eventually improves, therefore skimping the sleep or disarrays activities are highly discouraged (Epstein, 471).

Conclusion

Although various research findings indicate that seven sleeping hours per night are the standardized specifications for adults, it is possible to have a four, five or six hour sleep session without any possible chronic effect associable to sleep deprivation Dement and Vaughan (471).

Depressants can assist in adjustments of the sleeping patterns. Every person has his/her unique pattern as well as requirements for sleeping.

The amount to sleep requirements does not necessarily translate to the optimal requirements, although it feels better when one spends an extra hour in bed. As long as I feel fine and energetic during my daily routines, then the sleeping pattern and time is in good health.

Works Cited

Dement, William C. and Vaughan, Christopher. “Sleep Debt and the Mortgaged Mind.”

Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Eds.

Epstein, Lawrence. “Improving Sleep.” Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Eds.

Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 10^th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 471-482

Martin, Paul. “A Third of Life.” Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Eds.

Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 10^th Ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2008. 460-462

Introduction

This paper is set to synthesize the evolution sleep in animals, its benefits and the recent knowledge that is linked to this natural phenomenon of near unconsciousness. “A Third of Life” addressed what is sleep and its purpose while “Improving Sleep” discuses the stages of sleep and its patterns in animals and human beings.

The final article, America’s sleep addresses awareness of sleep deprivation impact and how to improve lifestyle to ensure better sleep. This analysis combines all these information into describing sleep and its implication on animals. Essentially sleep evolved as a crucial phenomenon for the survival of animals

Sleeping Theory

A major concern for scholars has been why do animals sleep? “What is it for?” (p. 463) The “A Third of Life” article demonstrates that during sleep, “…it is not just a matter of closing the eyes and being unconscious…” rather the brain remains active as the Electroencephalogram (EEG) would indicate in “improving sleep” article (474).

This means that sleep is not just mere absence of wakefulness but has a very important physiological benefit. Besides, when animals are deprived sleep, they show some disruptions of the normal body function in form of a number of symptoms such as synaptic changes (Epstein & Mardon, 56).

Sleep is induced by the brain based on the circadian cycle in most animals thought its function has not been so clear but some theories have been postulated to explain its purpose, according to “A Third Of Life” article. Thus, when animals are deprived of it they present symptoms of stress, but those animals that get enough sleep are more alert, active and healthier (Dement & Vaughan 103).

Sleep has been described as a way of conserving and restoring energy so that the animal feels fresh and active. However, the major concern here has been why the phenomenon of having to spend a considerable part of the day sleeping evolved (Epstein & Mardon, 56). There are theories that this has improved survival is species hence leading to another major question, ‘How does sleep improve survival?’

The brain could have been designed to sleep for very shorter periods of time instead of a very long time span such as 5 to 9 hours. Some theories purport that the answer lies in the vulnerability of animals to danger when they remain awake all day.

“Essentially, most animals and human beings are biologically designed to sleep almost at the same…” (p. 464) time, instead of being awake all day and night. This sleeping cycle helps protect species otherwise, predators would hunt and deplete their prey and then starve to death hence terminating existence of animal species. Sleep improves survival as animal behavior is controlled by sleep patterns.

Problems of Poor Sleep Habits

When human beings are deprived of sleep because of poor sleeping habits, their bodies react and they show a variety of symptoms related to problems of lack of sleep. Lack of sleep causes irritability and tiredness …“people deprived on sleep are left with potentially dangerous activities,…people have hardship in finishing tasks that require high concentration and in most cases sleep deprived people suffer mood swings, high tension and depression” (p. 480).

A person feels lazy and easily provoked because of lack of energy (Epstein & Mardon, 64). This makes a person unproductive. Sleep deprivation also interferes with social behavior making a person socially inept. A person is unable to communicate effectively or understand what other people are saying.

Lack of sleep affects memory where it impairs a person’s cognition. This leaded to poor memory and a person can fail to remember issues that happened minutes or hours ago. The person can only have vague recollection of things or even some that never happened at all.

When a person expresses these symptoms, they also loose ability to concentrate because the body and the brain are exhausted and cannot concentrate (Epstein & Mardon, 66). “insufficient sleep is directly associated with deteriorating health and research show that individual may suffer heart disease, blood pressure, obesity and diabetes as well as premature death” (p. 471).

Benefits of Good Sleep is numerous and it is advisable to always have adequate sleep to attain these benefits. Good sleep keep a person healthy and a person can survive adverse health problem like heart disease and stroke (Epstein & Mardon, 86).

People who work longer hour have higher risks of developing cancer and studies show that melatonin released during sleep suppress tumor growth. Good sleep helps the body to refresh and reduce stress. When a person is awake and active, there is increased production of stress hormone which in turn causes increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases (Epstein & Mardon, 86).

Good sleep allows the body to freshen up and a person stays alert and energized when he/she wakes up the next day. This way, an individual is active and productive the rest of the day. Sleep also bolsters a person’s memory (Epstein & Mardon, 89). Memory consolidation takes place during sleep when the body is resting and this helps to connect sensory inputs and other perceptions hence building good memory.

Sleep helps in reduction of depression because during sleep, the body releases serotonin which reduces risk or depression.

Improving Sleeping habits: In order to be able to attain good night’s sleep “an individual should set consistent sleeping pattern with constant bedtime and awake time for all the days of the week even on the weekends and they hours slept should be 7 to 9 hours of sleep”. An individual should create relaxing bedtime habit like taking a shower before bed, reading a soothing story or watching a movie. An individual has to keep the bedroom very comfortable, cool, quiet and darker when it is time for sleep.

In order to get good sleep it is advisable to avoid taking coffee before going to bed; Also “create a sleep friendly bedroom where distractions like televisions are not part of it or setting the limits of use before sleep time” (p. 486). Each morning after waking up, put on bright light immediately it should be avoided in the late evening before sleep.

Sleep-Wake Cycle

How is sleep for most Americans? Together with genetics, the circadian cycle plays a big role in the determination of the amount of sleep a person may require in a day at every stage of development. “The newborn babies are able to spend up to 18 hours a day sleeping,” however as the infants grow into toddlers at age one to three years, they can sleep for up to 13 hours a day and the number keeps on reducing until when these children reach adolescence.

Teenagers can sleep up to 9 hours though 8 hours are enough to refresh them fully (McNamara et al, 78). However, Americans have been termed people of a society deprived of sleep. The reason has been that beginning from childhood through adolescence, children have pressures of academics, sports and dating therefore they end up cutting the time they spend sleeping.

For the adults, sleeping is affected by working schedules and other family responsibilities that require much of their time. Pregnant women or women in their menopause ages usually experience considerable changes in their sleep-wake pattern. During menopause women can experience hot flushes which could cause them to be awake a considerable part of the night and the quality of sleep is adversely affected.

As such, these women may suffer insomnia and sleep apnea (McNamara et al, 78). This is because of the hormonal changes that take place during that stage of life. Contrary to the belief that sleep is reduced among older people because of the awakenings they experience in the night, studies show, they still need the same amount of sleep and these awakenings are compensated for by napping during the day.

Conclusion

The articles “A third of life”, “improving sleep”, and “America’s sleep”, help to draw conclusions that sleeping is very important for good health and for species survival. However, with the current hassles and tussles of modern daily lives, many people do not have enough sleep and therefore suffer the consequences. In the western societies, like in America, many people struggle to endure more hours of wakefulness considering sleeping as waste of time (McNamara et al, 79).

However, deprivation of sleep could be detrimental. The article, “Improving sleep” states that enough sleep helps to keep a person healthy and the body functions well especially the immune system and the individual can perform better at work. The article “America’s Sleep” has shown that sleep deprivation can be a risk factor for developing diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.

Works Cited

Dement, William and Vaughan, Christopher. The Promise Of Sleep: A Pioneer In Sleep Medicine Explores The Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, And A Good Night’s Sleep. New York: Dell, 2000. Print

Epstein, Lawrence and Mardon Stephen. Improving Sleep: A Guide to a Good Night’s Rest. Boston: Harvard Medical School, 2008. Print

McNamara, Patrick. Barton, Robert A. and Nunn, Charles. Evolution of Sleep: Phylogenetic and Functional Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print

The article written by Darshak Sanghave is aimed at discussing the causes that underlie medical errors in hospitals. In particular, the author focuses on such a problem as sleep-deprivation experienced by many interns. Furthermore, the author mentions the lack of coordination among different practitioners.

Yet, this article can be related to various economic aspects of economics. One should first speak about health economics that evaluates different strategies implemented by medical organizations. For instance, Darshak Sanghave discusses the advantages and disadvantages of 30-hour overnight shifts. The author shows that this approach is largely ineffective because it greatly impairs the quality of healthcare services that patients receive.

Additionally, Darshak Sanghave touches upon a question that has long been studied by many economists. In this case, one should focus on the relationship between demand and supply. Judging from the examples given by the author one can say that many medical organizations cannot meet the demand for their services. This is why interns have to work almost round-the-clock. This is one of the problems that should be addressed by hospital administrators.

Furthermore, economists often focus on the efficiency of investment that is aimed to improve the quality of products and services. Despite the increasing cost of healthcare, patients still fall victim to medical errors. Therefore, it is vital to develop strategies that can improve the work of medical institutions.

These issues are relevant not only to hospitals, but to many other organizations, including private businesses. On the whole, Darshak Sanghave’s can be assigned in a course of economics, because it shows how different economic concepts such as production of services, supply, or demand can be applicable to various fields of human activity.

Article Overview

Study Results

Analyzing the effects of media on sleep in adolescents is critical for health outcomes improvement. Table 1 shows that there is a propensity among young people to overuse IT communication tools, which affects their sleep (Johansson, Petrisko, & Chasens, 2016). Therefore, the study results inform the choice of the interventions and treatment methods that will help to restore sleep patterns of adolescent people.

Discussion and Conclusion

The discussion and conclusion interpret the outcomes of the analysis fully and correctly. Johansson et al. (2016) specify directly that further strategies for convincing adolescents to change their current attitude toward IT tools, in general, and social media, in particular, have critical importance. A significant number of findings in the table bear statistical significance due to the correlation between the variables such as age, gender, use of IT tools, and sleep patterns. Thus, further actions are strongly recommended to address the issue regarding technology and sleep behaviors.

Article Critique: Key Points

Research Question and Background

The research question that the study raises can be considered an important one since it addresses a serious health concern. Particularly, the authors of the study explain why there is the need to know the answer to the question by providing a profound background to the case and stating that innovative technology has a profound impact on the problem of sleep patterns among adolescents and the effects.

With the increasing role of social media in young people’s lives and the propensity among the vulnerable population to be on social networks constantly, there is a legitimate threat of sleep deprivation The background of the study, in turn, provides enough support for the discussion, with a number of researches being rendered in the literature review. For instance, the authors outline the need to consider the multifaceted nature of the problem and correlate external (technological) factors with internal (biological ones) (Johansson et al., 2016).

Methods: Strengths and Weaknesses

The ability to embrace a wide range of people and include diverse participants into the population sample can be regarded as the key advantage of the selected research method. By using the quantitative approach, the authors of the study managed to expand the sample size considerably, thus ensuring that the population is diverse. Consequently, the selected research method can be regarded as an opportunity to include as varied a population as possible. Similarly, actigraphy as the measurement tool can be seen as an advantage of the research since it provided an accurate assessment of the participants’ sleeping patterns (Johansson et al., 2016). Finally, the statistical methods used in the study deserve praise due to the opportunities to visualize the key information.

However, the specified method also incorporates certain problems that may have affected the credibility of its results. For instance, the fact that the selected data collection tool implied retrieving information from participants, and thus incorporated a significant amount of subjective information deserves to be mentioned. The large number of participants also may be a disadvantage since it may misrepresent the actual value that the target population contains. Finally, the use of descriptive statistics as a research method does not allow locating direct correlations between the variables.

Results Presentation and Discussion

The results of the research were presented fully and coherently in the course of the study. The outcomes of the analysis are listed clearly, and one can follow them easily to locate patterns between sleep changes and the use of modern technology. Since the authors of the analysis had designed a well thought-out framework for describing and discussing the outcomes of their study, the results were presented succinctly, coherently, and fully. Johansson et al. (2016) described the main outcomes of the study in the way that offered opportunities for both being concise and representing the essential information that defied the further course of the research. Consequently, the stage was set for a follow-up study on the subject matter.

The discussion that followed the presentation of the key findings interprets the research results effectively since the specified results answer main question of the study fully. The authors also determined the presence of limitations such as the fact that some of the data was drawn from another cross-sectional study (Johansson et al., 2016). A range of strengths such as the opportunity to introduce a comprehensive framework for sleep management were also located.

Outlining the key effects that the research results would have on the quality of sleep in teenagers, Johansson et al. (2016) managed to set expectations for the next studies, denoting the requirements for the follow-up research and establishing the issues that will require the further detailed analysis. The specified information is included in the conclusion of the study, which also incorporates recommendations. The capacity of the study, which allows including the specified elements into the article, shows that the research was conducted in accordance with the set standards and can be regarded as profound and thought-provoking.

Conclusion: Summary and Recommendations

The conclusion to the analysis of the sleep issues experienced by adolescents and the effects that technology has on the sleep patterns of the target demographics was brief yet informative. Therefore, the conclusion can be considered appropriate for the rest of the article. Johansson et al. (2016) listed the key outcomes of the analysis, thus concluding that adolescents may require detailed guidelines regarding the management of their sleep patterns.

Thus, Johansson et al. managed to integrate both the summary of the research results and the pieces of advice for the vulnerable group under analysis. To handle the specified concern, one should design the management tools that will provide the target demographic with a sufficient amount of independence yet also inform them about the need to select a specific schedule that provides enough sleep.

Reference

Johansson, A. E., Petrisko, M. A., & Chasens, E. R. (2016). Adolescent sleep and the impact of technology use before sleep on daytime function. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 31(5), 498-504. Web.

Introduction

In Greek Mythology, night has two sons, death and sleep. Dement in 1994 noted the association between death and sleep in the medical literature as early as 1834 when Robert MacNish inferred that death is an intermediate state between wakefulness and death. Recent understanding of sleep infers that sleep and wakefulness are two phases of brain activity that are separate physiologically and physiologically. However, both conditions are reflected on each other; further, sleep is a physical need and is an active physiological process and is a dynamic behavior not just the absence of wakening. Sleep is a state of altered consciousness that differs from coma in that an individual can be aroused. Further, during sleep the human brain is responsive to internal than to external stimuli (Kamal, p. 156).

Discussion

Animal laboratory studies show that rats deprived from sleep has an average life span of 3 weeks (instead of 2-3 years) with decreasing weight and sores on their tails possibly because of impaired immune mechanisms. From this, we know that sleep is needed for normal immune system functioning. The human brain shows significantly lowered metabolic activity after 24 hours of sleep deprivation. With sleep deprivation, body temperature becomes lowers and the white blood cells count (needed for body defenses against bacteria and various allergens) decreases. In addition, chronic sleep deficiency results in various arrhythmias. About the central nervous system, sleep deprivation results in impaired memory with altered ability to do simple mathematical calculations and lack of concentration. If sleep deprivation continues, mood changes and even hallucinations occur. For children and young adult, sleep is essential for growth, human cells show increased protein production and less breakdown during sleep. Besides, growth hormone release shows nocturnal increase during sleep. Thus, in brief, sleep is essential for physical, emotional, and social well-being of humans (Staud and Adamec, Pp. 189-193).

Sleep is not a uniform state of being; rather it is a complex, and a cyclical process of human physiology. It occurs in cycles of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep alternating with non-rapid eye movement sleep. Non REM sleep represents 75% of sleep duration and occurs in four stages (1 to 4) and REM sleep represents stage 5 (25%) of sleep. REM and Non REM sleep have different control mechanisms and serve different functions (Le Bon and others, 2002).

Animal transaction studies and lesion studies identified a small region in the lateral pontine tegmentum (corresponding to the lateral parts of the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis) and the part ventral to the locus ceruleus to be responsible for REM sleep. The question is whether these parts are enough for generation of REM sleep and the associated phenomena (muscle atonia, cortical desynchrony, rapid eye movements and altered sensory threshold) remains incompletely answered. Evidence suggests a role played by non-brainstem systems in shaping REM sleep. Non REM sleep generation involves interactions among many brainstem, diencephalic and forebrain cell groups. In the intact animal, this network is involved; however, in experimental animals, it is possible to observe various signs of Non REM sleep after transactions of the neural axis. This lead to the conclusion there may be multiple Non REM sleep generators (Kamal, Pp. 156-164).

Fragmentation of cognitive brain activity is a characteristic of Non REM sleep. The first Non REM sleep stage (1-7 minutes) serves as a transitional stage when the individual is easily awakened (law arousal threshold). If awakened, the individual does not recall being asleep, and the EEG shows decreased alpha activity. In stage 2 (10-25 minutes), the EEG characteristically shows bursts of distinctive 12-14 Hz sinusoidal waves against a background of low voltage mixed frequency activity (sleep spindles). In addition, characteristic high voltage waves (K complexes) appear especially after auditory stimulation. The EMG is low to moderate with no or rare eye movements. The characteristic of the third sleep stage is the high amplitude (>75 UV), slow delta waves. The EMG is low to moderate with no or rare eye movements. Occasionally, the EOG trace shows large voltages because of contamination from the EEG trace. In stage four (20-40 minutes), there is increase in delta waves which dominate the EEG trace (>50%). The EMG and EOG are the same as stage three. The REM stage (when individuals dream) is characterized by fast EEG waves similar to those in stage 1 (Non REM) sleep. Body muscles are almost paralyzed so as not to act our dreams, and there are bursts of rapid eye movements. REM sleep is not divided into stages, but there are two major periods; phasic (short clusters of rapid eye movements) and tonic (relative eye movement inactivity) periods (Roth, Pp. 8-11).

Conclusion

Sleep is an active physiological process that is essential to health, yet, at present, there are still many unresolved questions. Like what is the functional importance of REM and Non REM sleep alternation, and whether these two stages share the same general environment and compete for expression, or they are inter related with definite interactions.

Works Cited

1. Kamal, I. “What we know about sleep. Part 1: An introduction to sleep medicine.” Postgraduate Doctor vol 20 (5) 2004. p. 156-164.
2. Le Bon, O., Staner, L.,Rivelli, S. K., Hofmann, G. et al. “Correlations using the NREM-REM sleep cycle frequency support distinctive regulation mechanisms for REM and NREM sleep.” J Appl Physiol vol 93 2002. p. 141-146.
3. Roth, T. “Characteristics and Determinants of Normal Sleep.” J Clin Psychiatry vol 65 [suppl 16] 2004. p. 8-11.
4. Staud, R., and Adamec, C. A. Fibromyalgia For Dummies (chapter 14). New York: For Dummies, 2007.

Abstract

Sleep is a very important biological function that needs to be understood by a critical understanding of the pattern of human sleep. It varies from individual to individual and is affected by a variety of factors that determines the length and the depth of the sleep. The habit of sleep is very individual specific therefore a study of the pattern of sleep of a group needs to be evaluated to get an understating of the pattern of sleep. This is important as sleep determines the level of performance of the individual.

Introduction

Human sleep is a very important biological phenomenon, which is necessary for the optimum functioning of a human being. Adolescent sleep is subject to so many external stimuli, that it is necessary to record the impact different stimulus has on sleep pattern. Getting a good amount of rest through sleep is necessary for adolescent growth, functioning, and optimum use of energy.

Even though everyone goes through the same physiology of sleep, however, there are some individual variations as to the length and depth of each stage, and the number of hours of sleep needed in 24 hours cycle, and how a person uses the benefits of sleep. Only through reviewing the sleep patterns and habits can an individual determine where he/she fits. These patterns are dependant on age and individual.

During a normal night of sleep, human beings alternate repeatedly between two distinct types of sleep: rapid eye movement(REM) and nonREM. Both types of sleep have different and independent effects on the overall quality of sleep, which is determined by levels of subsequent daytime sleepiness and performance. NonREM sleep is of four types and they define the depth of consciousness as presented in the figure below. The deeper the sleep and the length of time in deep sleep, the more the body and the mind are getting rest. These fur stages occur within a series of cycles over the period of sleep, occurring about every 90-100 minutes. REM sleep is another event in each cycle. REM sleep often occurs after sleep has begun its first cycle and then as the person returns to the first stage of sleep and just before going back into the next cycle.

Materials and Methods

The source of research is based on the examination of sleep patterns of 10 to 15 adolescents, with the recoding of the range of sleep cycles recorded on average and extreme cases. This has also been recorded with a ten-day recording of the change in sleep pattern upon consumption of caffeine, which is a very common stimulus for adolescents. Sleep is a very important part of adolescent life, and analyzing the sleep pattern and understanding the sleep pattern can give clues to better management of time, sleep, and productivity.

This involves the careful recording of bedtime, wake time, number of awakenings at night, number of consumed caffeinated drinks, and the amount of exercise performed on the day. The continuous recording of the sleep pattern would give an estimation of sleep patterns among the adolescents in the time frame monitored.

Result

The result obtained provides a pattern in which the present age adolescent functions and how their lifestyle, eating, exercise, and sleep time impact their periods of alertness and sleepiness scale. This would in turn impact the performance level of the adolescent. the correlation between sleep time and wake time would provide an insight into their function and performance.

Most of the subjects were adolescents studying in college and their average bedtime ranges from 10:25 pm till 2:25 am and their average sleep duration ranges anytime from 6 hours to 11 hours. Their frequency of awakening in between their sleep is also taken into account. The record states that their average awakening in the night range anywhere from 1 to 5 in the respective cases. Though consideration was made o record the impact of caffeine intake on sleep, no specific pattern is presented which can be declared conclusive. The average wake-up time recorded indicates that most students wake up between 7:00 am and 9:50 am.

Discussion

Restful sleep is a necessity for every adolescent, as they need to use their maximum energy for study and their optimum performance in any field. They choose to perform. Even though one spends over one their of lives in some stage of sleep, there is little known about why we sleep and how one can better control the sleep pattern to optimize productivity. This essential function of the body prepares the body for the next day’s performance and action. Sleep revitalizes and prepares the body for the next day’s function. Sleep habits, patterns, and their correlation with lifestyle is an elusive subject. A basic understanding of the sleep process is important, as students in the present age deal with the variations in their work and study and rest requirements.

There is no magic that provides a clue into the dynamics of sleep; there are no magic diets, medications, or techniques which can ensure restful sleep. It is only through the awareness of physiology that one can understand the pattern of sleep and determine how sleep is influenced by our activities and what we can control to achieve sleep that can ensure enhanced performance and productivity as a student.

Conclusion

It is very important to undertake the systematic examination of the pattern of sleep, so that as an adolescent when you need to optimize your productivity, you can learn and identify the measures to improve your chances of getting restful and productive sleep. It is apparent that it is necessary to maintain a specific schedule and good exercise routine to have normal and natural control over or sleep. Sleep is a vital requirement just like food and water. Sleep is one of the vital signals which the brain transmits to the individual functioning, which fulfills three vital functions: hunger, thirst, and sleep. Thus understanding the pattern of sleepiness and wakefulness in light of the everyday performance of the human entity is necessary.

References

National Aeronautic and Space Admininstration, Sleep , Jet lag and fatigue.

Mary A. Carskadon , Adolescent Sleep Patterns: Biological, Social, and Psychological Influences. Cambridge University Press, 2002. 297 pgs.

Sleep StagesOverview, Waking, Non-REM, REM, Sleep Cycle, Factors, Age 1998-2008. Web.

P. Achermann, “Combining Different Models Of Sleep Regulation”, Journal of Sleep Research, 1991, pp. 144-147, 1.

S. Folkard , “A Three Process Model Of The Regulation Of Alertness And Sleepiness”, Sleep, Arousal and Performance Problems and Promises, 1991, 11, 26.

T. Monk, “Circadian Aspects Of Subjective Sleepiness: A Behavioral Messenger?” Sleep, Sleepiness and Performance, 1991, pp. 39-63.

Technology has become an inseparable part of everyday life for most people all over the world. However, when considering the demographic that has been affected by technological advances to the greatest degree, one should mention adolescents. Although the identified age group uses IT tools consciously, the target demographic has rather loose control over the time that the process consumes, hence a range of issues associated with health. Due to the excessive use of technology at bedtime, adolescents face the threat of disrupting their sleep patterns and developing difficulty falling asleep.

The active use of Sleep Time-Related Information and Communication Technology (STRICT) devices during bedtime and directly before going to sleep may have drastic consequences for children and adolescents. A recent study shows that the specified behavior may result in acquiring issues such as “insomnia, daytime sleepiness and evening chronotype” (Polos et al., 2015, p. 235). The specified problems have a detrimental effect on the psychological and physical development of children and adolescents, causing significant complications in the future and determining the development of chronic sleep disorders (Polos et al., 2015). Likewise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) also warn that sleep deprivation is likely to cause significant health concerns. Not only mental health but also the physical functioning of an individual suffering from the lack of sleep will be severely disrupted (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Therefore, the introduction of a framework for changing the habits of the vulnerable population is required.

Furthermore, studies show that there is a direct correlation between the use of technology at bedtime among adolescents and their following functioning during the daytime. As Johansson, Petrisko, and Chasens (2016) explain, the adolescents that interact with IT devices before going to bed develop issues such as sleepiness during the daytime and feeling unrefreshed when waking up. During the process of data collection, the authors discovered that most of the participants tended to go to bed very late, which affected the quality of their sleep and their ability to normally function over the next day (Johansson et al., 2016). Similarly, LeBourgeois et al. (2017) point to the fact that sufficient sleep duration has to be recognized as a crucial factor in shaping an individual’s mental health. The alterations in the sleep duration patterns observed among adolescents showed that the time of sleep was shortened significantly after the introduction of innovative technology, particularly, social media, into the environment of the global society (LeBourgeois, 2017). Therefore, it will be reasonable to state that the connection between the specified variables is evident.

Other pieces of evidence also indicate that electronic devices used before bedtime affect the duration of sleep in adolescents largely. The connection between a drop in the number of sleep hours among the target demographic and the propensity toward using electronic devices to access social media has also been confirmed by Twenge, Krizan, and Hisler (2017). According to the authors, the specified type of behavior is especially characteristic of adolescents. The observed tendency can be explained by the significance with which the target demographic imbues social media as a tool for communication with peers and sharing information. As a result, the phenomenon to which Twenge et al. (2017) refer as “sleep recession” (p. 49) is becoming increasingly more common within the identified age group.

Thus, a model for encouraging positive behavioral changes among the specified demographic should be the focus of further studies. At present, there is a strong possibility that adolescents that develop sleep problems due to the specified behavior may acquire the propensity toward mental health concerns such as depression and even suicidal ideation in the future (Polos et al., 2015). Particularly, one will have to use the therapies involving relaxation techniques to restore sleep-wake patterns in adolescents that have been affected by the negative influence of electronic devices. The specified approach should be coupled with the active promotion of healthy use of electronic devices by school psychologists and family therapists. Moreover, one will need to involve family members to support vulnerable groups in the management of their addiction to using electronic devices before bedtime. With sufficient social support and clear guidelines from therapists including cognitive behavior therapy, adolescents will be able to manage their habit of using electronic tools before and during bedtime.

The inability to control their time when using electronic devices before bedtime affects the quality of adolescents’ sleep, thus making them develop issues associated with the disruption of sleep patterns. Particularly, the lack of understanding of the effects that the use of electronic devices has on their health causes the vulnerable population to continue to use IT tools needs to be explored and addressed further. Therefore, there is a strong need to introduce healthy behaviors and suggestions for changing the current pattern of IT tool usage among children and adolescents. Thus, the vulnerable population will be able to restore their sleep patterns and manage the current problems associated with the lack of sleep and the feeling of tiredness that they experience due to the inadequate use of IT devices.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Sleep and sleep disorders. Web.

Johansson, A. E., Petrisko, M. A., & Chasens, E. R. (2016). Adolescent sleep and the impact of technology use before sleep on daytime function. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 31(5), 498-504. Web.

LeBourgeois, M. K., Hale, L., Chang, A. M., Akacem, L. D., Montgomery-Downs, H. E., & Buxton, O. M. (2017). Digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S92-S96. Web.

Polos, P. G., Bhat, S., Gupta, D., O’Malley, R. J., DeBari, V. A., Upadhyay, H.,… Chokroverty, S. (2015). The impact of Sleep Time-Related Information and Communication Technology (STRICT) on sleep patterns and daytime functioning in American adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 44, 232-244. Web.

Twenge, J. M., Krizan, Z., & Hisler, G. (2017). Decreases in self-reported sleep duration among US adolescents 2009–2015 and association with new media screen time. Sleep Medicine, 39, 47-53. Web.

This paper investigated how blue light affects people’s sleep. The work consists of three parts, namely the introduction, the main content, and the conclusion. The introduction is comprised of a thesis statement and a description of the critical thoughts of the paper. The main part reveals that blue light reduces the amount of melatonin, which is a sleep hormone, which ensures high-quality sleep. Nowadays, a substantial portion of the blue light comes from the use of digital devices. In this paper, a few experiments that were conducted in order to prove the impact of the blue light were mentioned.

Moreover, an experiment that demonstrated the role of melatonin in the sleeping process was also described. The results of the research showed that blue light harms people’s sleep. Thus, regular use of digital devices, especially before bedtime, leads to sleep dysfunction, disturbance, and anxiety. Therefore, blue light has a negative impact on both physical and psychological health. At the end of the paper, recommendations on how to reduce the adversarial effect of the blue light were included. These recommendations include using a special app that controls the brightness of the screen and its colors, utilization of built-in screen protectors for mobile devices, and self-control. Conclusion summarised all the main ideas of this paper.

Nowadays, due to the development of modern technologies, people enjoy using digital devices that make their lives easier. However, while the utilization of digital tools brings some advantages, it also has some drawbacks. Thus, frequent use of these devices increases the amount of blue light that is absorbed by people. Excessive exposure to blue light may cause some health issues, such as eyestrain, headaches, and a sense of anxiety. Moreover, blue light has a significant impact on people’s sleep because it affects the production of the sleep hormone, which is called melatonin. In this paper, the effect of blue light on people’s sleep will be researched. Also, the evidence that supports the idea about the impact of blue light on sleep will be provided. Conclusion, which summarises the key concepts of the paper, will be included.

It is difficult to imagine people’s lives in the 21st century without using digital devices. Smartphones, notebooks, and computers are used by people quite often as they serve as excellent tools for studying, working, communication, and entertainment. However, people rarely think about the possible harm that can be brought by excessive use of digital devices. For instance, a new study found that blue light that comes out from smartphones, tablets, and other devices contributes “to the high prevalence of reported sleep dysfunction” (Headline Science, 2017, p.18).

Lisa Ostrin, a researcher, invited some individuals to take part in the experiment. As a result of this experiment, those participants who were wearing blocking glasses three hours before they fall asleep for two weeks had a 58% increase in their melatonin levels (Headline Science, 2017). The quality of sleep of participants was improved, and they noticed that they could fall asleep faster.

It is worth mentioning that melatonin plays a significant role in the promotion of sleep. It is proved that melatonin is a hormone that not only promotes sleep for healthy people but also helps to improve the sleep of those who acquired brain injury. Thus, a group of scholars from Australia did an experiment to prove the effectiveness of melatonin for sleep. They invited patients from Melbourne hospital who had sleep disturbances.

The patients were given a melatonin supplement for one month in order to see if it will bring any positive effects. The study revealed that melatonin increased sleep quality, sleep efficiency on vitality, and the mental health of participants (Grima et al., 2018). Therefore, people should control the time they spend using digital devices, especially before bedtime. Otherwise, people may face some difficulties related to sleep, such as troubled sleep or insomnia.

Another study that proves the negative effect of blue light on sleep was conducted among preschoolers. More than 400 women, who have children of 3-5 years old, participated in the survey designed to investigate the relation between the utilization of mobile devices and sleep. As a result of assessing the use of electronic devices by children, it was revealed that “daily table use was related to sleep disturbances” (Nathanson, & Beyens, 2018, p.202). These disturbances are caused by the blue light produced by digital devices. The blue light affects the production of melatonin, which is needed for high-quality sleep. Therefore, this study serves as another proof of the adverse effect of blue light on sleep.

While regular sleep disturbance may lead to the weakening of physical activity, it has an even heavier impact on the psychological health of people. It is proved that lack of high-quality sleep “can lead to fatigue, irritability, decreased pain tolerance, increased corticosteroid and catecholamine levels, and decreased ability to heal” (Radtke, Obermann, & Teymer, 2014, p.178). All these symptoms cause a feeling of exhaustion, and people start feeling stressed, unhappy, and even depressed.

Thus, people should reduce the amount of time spent on using digital devices. Even though it can be especially difficult nowadays, due to the extensive use of modern technologies, there are still some ways to eliminate the harm brought by the blue light. For example, it is possible to use blue light filters that cover the screen of mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones. In addition, some apps automatically regulate the colors that are used in devices in order to reduce the unfavorable light effects. Moreover, it is crucial for adults to control themselves and remind children that the excessive use of digital devices affects their health negatively. Parents should understand that it is easier to teach kids to refuse to use smartphones before bedtime while they are little than explain the same things to grown teenagers.

Therefore, it is evident that an excessive amount of blue light negatively affects people’s health. In the modern world, blue light primarily comes from the digital devices that are actively used by both children and adults. Using electronic devices with screens, especially before bedtime, results in the reduction of melatonin, which is in charge of ensuring high-quality sleep for people. Numerous surveys and experiments prove the adversarial effect of blue light, and some of them were mentioned in the paper in order to support the argument. These surveys prove that melatonin helps to improve the sleep of healthy people, as well as those who had a brain injury. In the end, it is recommended to reduce the amount of time spent on using digital devices by means of blue light filters, special apps, and self-control.

References

Grima, N. A., Rajaratnam, S., Mansfield, D., Sletten, T., Spitz, G. & Ponsford, J. (2018). Efficacy of melatonin for sleep disturbance following traumatic brain injury: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Medicine, 16, 1–N.PAG.

Headline Science. (2017). Device light disturbs sleep. Science Teacher, 84(7), 18–21.

Nathanson, A. I., & Beyens, I. (2018). The relation between use of mobile electronic devices and bedtime resistance, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness among preschoolers. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 16(2), 202–209.

Radtke K., Obermann, K., & Teymer, L. (2014). Nursing knowledge of physiological and psychological outcomes related to patient sleep deprivation in the acute care setting. MEDSURG Nursing, 23(3), 178–184.

Introduction

An individual’s health can be affected if he or she undertakes tasks for a long duration without having enough sleep. This does not only dampen one’s mood, but also accelerates the levels of stress which can be a danger to one’s health. The paper entails a comprehensive analysis of the sleeping process in addition to evaluating the factors that affect the sleeping process. By understanding the sleeping process, individuals will gain knowledge on the factors that contribute towards losing sleep. In this paper, solutions to sleeping problems experienced by various individuals are also suggested. Other aspects related to sleep that have often been ignored are also evaluated.

Main text

Sleep refers to a resting condition whereby an individual goes into a state of physical and mental reprieve. When one is asleep, he or she is relatively inactive and is not aware of his or her immediate surroundings. Sleep is considered to be a fractional disconnection from the world due to numerous external stimuli and their associated effectors get blocked from the senses. There are five stages of sleep as outlined below

• Stage I
• Stage II
• Stage III
• Stage IV
• Rapid eye movement

The stages occur in a sequence from the first stage to the rapid eye movement sleep stage. Upon reaching the last stage, the cycle starts all over again at the first stage. It takes approximately ninety minutes for all the five stages to occur. This is referred to as realization of a full cycle. A night sleep’s first cycle is normally characterized with short rapid eye movement sleeps and protracted phases of deep sleep (Agnew 128). Later in the night, rapid eye movement increases resulting into a decline in deep sleep time.

Stage I is a changeover phase between slumber and wakefulness. An individual at this stage begins to roll his or her eyes. Theta waves which occur in stage one have low frequency. Interludes of alpha waves can also be identified. These waves are similar to the ones that occur when one is awake. Stage I lasts for few minutes after which it moves to the subsequent stage-stage II.

Stage II is characterized by gradual peaking of brain waves. This is technically called sleep spindles. The K-complexes adopt a pattern similar to sleep spindles. At this stage, the peaks significantly descend and finally pick up back. Stage II only occurs for a few minutes (Ogilvie 512).

Stage III (delta sleep). In this stage, the brain waves have a low frequency. Approximately fifty per cent of the brain waves in this stage are delta.

Stage IV has features similar to stage III. It is also reoffered to as the deep sleep stage or the delta stage. It is the deepest sleep stage which occurs prior to the rapid eye movement stage. Stages do turn around thereby necessitating advent of rapid eye movement sleep.

Stage V has beta waves with high frequency. It does occur when the brain is overly active. Beta waves can be realized when an individual is experiencing rapid eye movement stage sleep and when they are awake. This stage is characterized by regular muscular twitches and rapid eye movement. In addition, the heart beat increases at during this stage while breathing becomes shallow and rapid. Vivid dreaming occurs during the fifth stage.

Sleep is important for the normal functioning of our memory, stability of emotions, and mood. Studies show that there is some correlations between the amout of sleep one gets and the stability of their memory and mood. Sleep helps in organizing ones memory, enhance learning, and boosts concentration. Moderate sleep in five stage sleeping serves to regulate ones mood. Inadequate sleep impacts individual’s social interaction, emotions and decision making ability. Problem solving skills are also affected by lack of sleep, rendering one unable to comprehend the situation they are in. Memory and emotions are regulated by temporal lobe of the brain where as behavioral control and emotion is regulated by the frontal lobe of the brain.

Sleep is very essential for the proper functioning of our immune system. Lack of enough sleep renders our bodies susceptible to disease and proliferation of pathogens. Immune system is likely to become compromised due to lack of enough sleep. Neurons that are a major component of the nervous system are repaired when the body rests. Neurons are very central in proper functioning of the nervous system because they are the building blocks of the system. They execute both voluntary and involuntary commands to various parts of the body like the arm and even the digestive system. Immune system is normally boosted by proper nutrition, enough rest, and routine exercising.

The recommended number of hours that children should have on a daily basis depends on their age. Infants require approximately16 hours sleep while toddlers and babies are required to sleep for fourteen hours daily. Children who are relatively older should sleep for approximately 9 hours. Teenagers who do not normally have organized sleeping time should sleep for 9 hours on average. Adults should sleep for at least 7 hours in a day where as pregnant mothers should have 8 hours sleep.

Factors that affect sleep include work related problems, pain from injuries sustained in an accident, medical problems, family matters, drug prescriptions, dietary problems, working in shifts like day and night shifts, stress levels, anxiety prompted by certain undertakings and effect of light. There are people who can hardly sleep with the lights on. Other factors that affect sleep include too much noise, pollution and the quantity of water or liquids that are drunk (Carskadon 406).

Conclusion

Sleeping disorders can be necessitated by a number of factors. Some of these factors include lack of adequate sleep, stress and health related problems (Carskadon 500). Some of these disorders include insomnia, snoring, bedwetting, sleep walking and narcolepsy. Insomnia is not a disease but a symptom. Persons with insomnia find it very difficult to fall asleep and have satisfactory sleep. Quality and quantity of sleep feature prominently in realization of insomnia. Snoring obstructs the breathing process thus reducing reduces oxygen level in the blood. The resultant effect is that the individual does not have good sleep. Such people will always feel like sleeping during day time. Children who wet their beds tend to stay awake after they have wet their beds. This deprives them of enough sleep. Sleep walkers rarely go back to sleep after they have woken up (Dement 340). Narcolepsy is characterized by a feeling of drowsiness during day time, tossing in the bed and nightmares.

Works Cited

Agnew, William and Webb, Wilse. “Measurement of sleep onset by EEG criteria”. Am J EEG Technol, 12 (1972): 127-134.

Carskadon, Mary and Dement, William. “Effects of total sleep loss on sleep tendency”. Percet Mot Skills, 48 (1979):495-506.

Carskadon, Mary and Herz , Rachel. “Minimal olfactory perception during sleep: why odor Alarms will not work for humans”. Sleep, 27 (2004): 402-405.

Dement, William and Kleitman, Naomi. “The relation of eye movements during sleep to Dream activity: an objective method for the study of dreaming”. J Exp Psycho,l 53 (1957) :339-346.

Ogilvie, Robert and Wilkinson, Robert. “The detection of sleep onset: behavioral and Physiological convergence”. Psychophysiology, 21(1984):510-520.

Sleep is a vital stage of a day cycle in humans. Even though modern scientists have conducted numerous studies of sleep, the functions of sleep remain unknown. According to various studies, sleep bares restorative, adaptive, and cleansing functions, as it helps the body to dispose of toxins (Garrett & Hough, 2018). The effects of sleep become apparent under conditions of sleep deprivation, as the human brain starts to experience significant difficulties performing its cognitive functions. Therefore, the importance of sleep is difficult to overestimate.

There are four stages of sleep divided into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. During the first stage of sleep, the EEG shifts to theta waves, with a frequency of 4–7 Hz (Garrett & Hough, 2018). During this phase, the eyes are closed, but a person is easy to wake up. After 5-10 minutes, a person falls into the second stage of sleep, or light sleep, which is characterized by a decrease in heart rate and a drop in the body temperature. This stage is associated with the emersion of K complexes and sleep spindles (Garrett & Hough, 2018). K complexes are large waves in EEG that appear every minute, and sleep spindles are brief bursts of 12- to 14-Hz, which prevent disruptive stimuli from reaching the cortex and waking up the person (Garrett & Hough, 2018). The third stage is known as slow sleep and characterized by delta waves at a frequency of 1–3 Hz (Garrett & Hough, 2018). During this stage, a person is difficult to wake and can feel disorientated if he or she wakes up. These three stages are non-REM sleeping stages.

REM sleeping stage is also known as a paradoxical sleeping stage, as the EEG looks similar to a relaxed waking stage (Garrett & Hough, 2018). The sleeper is difficult to arouse but can react to meaningful inquiries (Garrett & Hough, 2018). According to research, 80% of the time during the REM stage, people report dreaming, which is not frequent during non-REM stages.

Waking and sleeping are controlled by complex processes as there is no center that controls it. Wakefulness is promoted by brainstem areas and hypothalamus by sending arousal signals to the cerebral cortex (Garrett & Hough, 2018). These signals are chemicals called neurotransmitters, which induce the arousal of different parts of the brain (Garrett & Hough, 2018). Neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) are responsible for shutting down the arousal centers promoting sleep (Garrett & Hough, 2018). Thus, sleeping and waking controls are complex processes that require further research.

Disruption of sleep can cause a problem with cognitive functions. The article by Maski et al. (2017) studied one of the central functions of sleep, which is memory consolidation. Previous research demonstrated that sleep spindles during the second stage of sleep could be used as mediators for the cognitive abilities of children. The researchers hypothesized that children with primary snoring (PS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had decreased cognitive abilities due to impairment of declarative memory consolidation. An experimental study was conducted, which confirmed that the hypothesis using rigorous scientific methods. Therefore, the intensity of sleep spindles can be biomarkers of risk for cognitive dysfunction.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that involves problems controlling sleeping and wakefulness. Patients with this disease fall asleep suddenly during the daytime and fall directly into the REM sleep. As a result, patients may experience excessive daytime sleepiness, hypnogogic hallucinations, cataplexy, and sleep paralysis (Bhattarai & Sumerall, 2017). There is no cure for the condition; however, its symptoms can be treated with amphetamine-like stimulants to fight sleepiness and antidepressant drugs to lessen cataplexy (Bhattarai & Sumerall, 2017).

In summary, the functions of sleep remain unknown even after excessive research. Sleep has four different stages, which are divided into REM sleep and non-REM sleep. There are numerous sleep disorders, which can affect the well-being of a person.

References

Bhattarai, J., & Sumerall, S. (2017). Current and Future Treatment Options for Narcolepsy: A Review. Sleep Science, 10(1). Web.

Garrett, B., & Hough, G. (2018). Brain and behavior: An introduction to behavioral neuroscience (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Maski, K., Steinhart, E., Holbrook, H., Katz, E., Kapur, K., & Stickgold, R. (2017). Impaired memory consolidation in children with obstructive sleep disordered breathing. PLOS ONE, 12(11), e0186915. Web.