Health & Fitness
A collection of write-ups with health care tips, expert advices and inspiration for overall wellness and fitness.
The Science Associated With Sleep
Sleep is responsible for accounting for almost one-third of the entire life span of any individual.
However, most people have no idea what happens when they are sleeping. In the 1950s, most people were responsible for believing that sleep is one of the passive activities, during which the brain and body remain dormant.
However, it has turned out that sleep is an important period, and during this period, the brain remains engaged in several activities, which are extremely important and associated with life. This is why sleep is linked to improving the quality of life.
According to Forbes, proper sleep has been linked to proper wellness and health.
Given below is a glimpse of the science that is associated with sleep.
All sleep is not similar
When you are asleep, the brain is going to repeatedly cycle through two important kinds of sleep, which include rapid eye movement sleep and non-rapid eye movement sleep. The primary part of your sleep cycle is the non-rapid eye movement sleep, which is further divided into four other stages.
Firstly, the stage between staying awake and falling asleep, secondly, light sleep when breathing and heart rate are regulated and the temperature of the body drops. And the last two stages are responsible for involving deep sleep.
Rapid eye movement cycle includes the rapid movement of eyes behind closed eyelids. The rate of breathing increases and the body starts becoming paralyzed temporarily when you are dreaming. The cycles keep repeating themselves but you are going to spend more time in rapid eye movement sleep.
The built-in controls of your body
There are important processes, which are responsible for regulating sleep. These processes include sleep drive and circadian rhythms.
Circadian rhythms are known to be controlled by biological clocks, which are situated within your brain.
One important function of the body clock is responding appropriately to the light cues, which will help in speeding up the production of melatonin during the night. People who have blindness find difficult to fall asleep because they cannot detect as well as respond to light cues.
Sleep drive is also responsible for playing an important role. The body is craving sleep exactly like it craves for food and hunger. At one point or the other, you will have to sleep. However, in the case of sleep, you can fall asleep anytime whereas you cannot eat at any time of the day.
Why do you require sleep?
If you keep feeling foggy after sleeping at night, you have to understand that sleep is responsible for impacting the function of the brain. Good quality of sleep is required for the plasticity of the brain. If you are sleeping for less time, it will be impossible for you to process what is happening throughout the day. Sleep is very important for weight loss too.
Sleep also helps in promoting the removal of unwanted products from your brain cells, and this is something that hardly happens when you are awake. This is why understanding the science of light sleep is important.
Conclusion
There is no denying the fact that sleep is one of the most important activities of the body. If you are not getting proper sleep, you will find it extremely difficult to function properly. To ease this problem, there are several top natural sleep aids that would help your body relax and have a good night sleep. Ensure that you understand the science associated with sleep so that you can take the ideal care of your body by getting proper sleep.
Join our community of Thought Leaders!
Copyrights © 2024 Inspiration Unlimited eMagazine
Any facts, figures or references stated here are made by the author & don't reflect the endorsement of iU at all times unless otherwise drafted by official staff at iU. This article was first published here on 3rd January 2020.