How Sleep Affects The Brain - 1929 Words

Andrea Hill Mrs. Gumina English III March 20, 2014 11 Days Awake zzzzzz...are you tired? I know I am...of writing this paper! In fact most of the kids in class are probably tired too. Surprisingly, according to WebMD, about 20% of Americans get less than six hours of sleep on average a night (1).With all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it is understandable to push sleep off. Harvard University has conducted extensive research, discovering how sleep affects the brain; â€Å"given that a single sleepless night can cause people to be irritable and moody the following day, it is conceivable that chronic insufficient sleep may lead to long term mood disorders† (1). Just one night of not sleeping can put one in a bad mood, much less consistent loss of sleep. But how does lack of sleep affect others around us? Sleepiness and sleep deprivation can be accounted for roughly one million car crashes annually in The United States. (Harvard Medical School 1). It is easy to understand that sleep loss is something that affects a ma jority of the people living in the U.S. and sleep deprivation is something that not only affects us, but affects those around us. Scientists speculate that during the night various sleep cycles playa role on consolidating memories in the mind (Harvard Medical School 3). So knowing that sleep plays such a critical part in the growth and development of our brain, then why do we put it off in order to finish other tasks? And in doing so, what neurologicalShow MoreRelatedHow Sleep Affects The Brain1309 Words   |  6 PagesSleeping affects the brain in ways that cannot be achieved by any other method, at least naturally. Lack of sleep is consistent with â€Å"higher levels of depressed mood, fatigue, and sleepiness,† which is observable in any person, but this trend is especially more true for adolescents, because of their developing brain and increased workload. (Fuligni, 2006) Students around the age of fourteen and fifteen are transitioning from middle school into high school and are forced to interrupt their previouslyRead MoreThe Emotional, Physical and Mental Effects of Sleep Depravation1054 Words   |  5 PagesIs sleep important? The answer is yes, more important than imaginable. However, not everyone needs the same amount. The amount of sleep needed depends on the age of the person. Infants typically need approximately 16 hours a day while teenagers need approximately nine hours on average. Most adults need about seven to eight hours (â€Å"Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep†). How much sleep someone gets is very important. Not getting enough sleep can result in many dysfunctions throughout the day. Loss ofRead MoreSleep On It ! Scientific American1010 Words   |  5 PagesYoung Article #2 Stickgold R. 2015. Sleep On It! Scientific American 314:52-57. Questions: 1) How does lack of sleep affect organs in the body? 2) What are prions and why do they cause deterioration in the brain? 3) If familial insomnia is caused by inherited prions, what gene codes for them? 4) Do non-traditional sleep habits (taking several naps instead of sleeping all at once) have the same affect as lack of sleep? 5) Does sleep have some affect on chronic illnesses such as their developmentRead MoreSleep Is Essential For Human Health911 Words   |  4 Pageskingdom to humans. All of them need to sleep as a need for food, it is a necessity for life. Sleep is important and necessary for human health and its ability to engage in intellectual activity and mental fitness. Everyone needs to sleep, one of the basics of life. Humans spend almost half of lifetime sleeping and then have to know how to keep the body in a good sleeping time. Many of the physical problems can interfere with the ability to fall or stay asleep. Sleep is important; because it helps humanRead More`` The Influencing Machines ``924 Words   |  4 Pagesbecoming a bigger issue every day, and now it affects one of our basics psychological needs: sleep. Though I concede with Brooke Gladstone, author of â€Å"The Influencing Machines† that we can adapt to technology as it grows, I still insist that some issues that arise wi th technology are bigger than Gladstone portrays and we need to find solutions for some of the bigger problems that technology creates, especially when it disturbs a basic psychological need. Sleep is a huge part of our lives. On average,Read MoreSleep Deprivation Essay1183 Words   |  5 PagesSleep is a necessity that people require to live a healthy lifestyle, and to partake in daily activities. Sleep is something that improves concentration, physical health, and provides energy. Steve Jobs once said, â€Å"For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.† Steve Jobs is proclaiming that to receive the full benefits of sleep, people must sleep the recommended hours. College students continue to undergo a lack of sleep as they persist throughRead MoreThe Effects Of Sleep Deprivation On Children1182 Words   |  5 PagesFor those who work long shifts; For those who try to compensate for their lack of sleep during the weekends; For those who simply like to stay up all night: lack of sleep could cause irreparable brain damage. Deprivation of long-term sleep hours could weaken brain energy even after days of sleep r ecovery. And it could be a sign of permanent brain damage. The consequences of not sleeping or not sleeping enough are serious, not only for the person who is not resting enough, but also for the peopleRead MoreWhy Is Sleeping Important?858 Words   |  4 Pagesto rest, starting from the animal kingdom to humans. Just like food, sleep is a necessity of life. Sleep is important and necessary for the body’s health and the mind’s ability to engage in intellectual activity and mental fitness. Since humans spend almost half of their lifetime sleeping, they should know how to sleep right. Many physical problems may interfere people’s ability to fall or stay asleep. It is important to sleep well because that helps to boost memory, be active, reduce chronic inflammationsRead MoreSleep Is The Best Medicine1174 Words   |  5 PagesSleep is known to be the best medicine when it comes to healing and resting the body. Resting and sleeping is known to be important for healthy living as well as deficiency of sleep can lead to major harm. The reason sleep is so important is because sleep allows the conscious mind to sleep and replenishes body physically. When we do not sleep we are over working the organs and our brain. Many of students and adults around the world are losing sleep because of school and work respectively. This affectsRead MoreThe Theory, The Energy Conservation Theory1419 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: what is sleep: Sleeping is something that most creatures of the animal kingdom have in common. A period of time where the body seemingly ceases to function. The average human is supposed to sleep 7-8 hours a day, and although this varies from species to species, the core function stays the same.The dictionary definition of sleep is â€Å"the natural state of rest during which your eyes are closed and you become unconscious†.(Sleep, n.d.) Although it seems like nothing is happening when