History of sleep: Why do we sleep, what will happen to us if we don't sleep?

The Dhaka Times Desk Sleep is essential for survival. Humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping. The question is, why do we sleep? What happens if you don't sleep? What will happen if you sleep? Let's try to find answers to the questions.

Why do we sleep?
Scientists have not been able to agree on the answer to this question for ages. No one has been able to pinpoint the cause of sleep with absolute certainty. Some say that sleep restores lost energy. But the truth is that sleeping provides only 50 kcal of energy, which is obtained by eating a piece of toast.

We sleep because it keeps the brain normal for various cognitive skills such as speech, memory, creative thinking. That is, sleep helps brain development.

What happens if you don't sleep?
To understand the role of sleep, you must first understand what happens when you sleep. Without sleep, our brain will not function properly. Problems like moodiness, irritability, forgetfulness etc. will appear. A single night of sleep deprivation significantly reduces attention span. Chronically insufficient sleep weakens the part of the brain that controls language, memory, planning and timing. Studies show that irregular sleep impairs the ability to react quickly to events and make sound decisions.

The consequences of not sleeping are not only in the brain, but also mentally and physically. This results in stress and high blood pressure. Irregular sleep is responsible for obesity.

Sleep history:
Sleep is essentially a periodic cycle of 90 to 110 minutes. Two categories of sleep. These are, eye movement sleep and non-eye movement sleep.

Sleep without movement of eyes:

First step: light sleep
In the first stage of sleep, we are half asleep and half awake. Our muscle activity decreases and mild tremors may occur. In this first stage of sleep we can wake up if we want.

Second step: real sleep
Within 10 minutes of light sleep we enter the second stage of sleep. It lasts for about 20 minutes. Breathing and heart rate slow down. This is a large part of human sleep.

Third and fourth steps: deep sleep
In the third phase, the brain begins to emit delta waves. Breathing and heart rate are lowest in this phase.

The fourth phase is a gradual flow of breath and little activation of the muscles. When we wake up during deep sleep, we don't have immediate rhythm. After being hesitant and confused for a while, everything gradually became normal. Children in this stage wet the bed, walk in their sleep.

Sleep with movement of eyes:
Eye movement sleep begins 70 to 90 minutes after falling asleep. This stage consists of three to five steps. During this time the brain is active, sometimes even more so than when awake. People dream at this time.

At this stage the eyes start moving. Breathing and heart rate increase. During this time our body is very much paralyzed. After this step the sleep cycle resumes.

How long should you sleep??
There is no such fixed time of sleep. Different times are ideal for people as they differ from person to person. However, research shows that people sleep for 5 to 11 hours. The average amount of sleep is 7.75 hours.

Finally, know your own sleep. Think and sleep for a suitable time. Only then will the body, brain and mind be good.

Source: bbc