General Health

Sleep is the state of natural rest observed in humans and throughout the animal kingdom, in all mammals and birds, and in many reptiles, amphibians, and fish. It is necessary for health and survival.

Why? Do not ask me why, because these next paragraph will help you answer it yourself. Well, sleep may be a dynamic time of healing and growth for organisms. In some studies, sleep deprivation led to decrements in immune function, and extreme, extended deprivation to altered metabolism. But sleep deprivation has not been conclusively shown to significantly impact organ, muscular, cardiac or other somatic function in ways.

Sleep might restore neurons and increase production of brain proteins and certain hormones. During sleep, an organism is vulnerable; when awake it may perceive and avoid threats. Besides, the activity occurring during active sleep seems to be particularly important to the developing organism. Studies investigating the effects of deprivation of active sleep have shown that deprivation early in life can result in behavioral problems, permanent sleep disruption, decreased brain mass, and an abnormal amount of neuronal cell death.

The scientists also believe that memory depends on sleep. Some phase of sleep appears to help the consolidation of spatial and procedural memory, while slow-wave sleep helps with the consolidation of declarative memories. When experimental subjects are asked to learn academic material, especially if it involves organized, systematic thought, their retention is markedly increased after a night’s sleep. On the other hand, the effectiveness of mere rote memorization is similar with or without an intervening period of sleep. But although many findings support these ideas, many sleep scientists do not believe that sleep’s primary function is related to memory. Preservation and Protection, is that sleep serves an adaptive function. It protects the individual during that portion of the 24-hour day in which being awake, and hence roaming around, would place the individual at greatest risk. From this perspective of adaptation, organisms are safer by staying out of harm’s way where potentially they could be prey to other stronger organisms.

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