I think we all like to sleep. I know I do.
We certainly know how important sleep is to our well-being and our health. We sure do need it to function in our daily comings and goings. Some people cope with a lack of sleep much better than others. But whenever any of us are very sleepy, we lose concentration easily and might also experience mood changes. Irritability. Feelings of depression.
Different people need different amounts of sleep. Eight and a quarter hours is the average for adults.
But we don’t fall off into nothing when we sleep. Experts used to think that everything shuts down when we sleep. We know better now. Our brains are very active during our visits to Slumberland. Over the last 60 years, scientists have discovered this nifty little fact.
So. Here is how it goes for almost everyone. The scientists say that deep sleep happens first. Our first three hours of sleep are the deepest, and they’ve called this “Slow Wave Sleep.” Then, later on in the night, we have more of the sleep stage with vivid dreams. This has been termed as “Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.” Apparently, though, this all changes across the night in cycles of about 90 minutes. There is REM (dreaming) sleep in every cycle, even if only for a short time. And then we have those dreams. Even though most of us forget most dreams.
As I’ve read about this, the scientists say they still don’t understand why we need sleep.
Yet. They also say that sleep is essential to many brain functions, including how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other. In addition, they’ve recently discovered that sleep plays a “housekeeping role” in our brains. During sleep, our bodies remove toxins in our brains that build up while we are awake.
So I don’t understand why they say sleep’s biological purpose remains a mystery. It seems cut and dry to me. We can’t function correctly without it.
Regardless, we do quite a bit while we are sleeping. Dreaming is a favorite activity of mine. I love to see the things I see in my sleep. It’s like my very own freakish movie every night of the week. I’m a color dreamer, as most of us are. In fact, only about 12% of us dream in black and white. But get this. Before the introduction of color television in our lives, more people dreamt in black in white. Most of us. Around 75%. I guess we go as our TVs go.
And. Here is something I used to do when I was a kid, but don’t anymore. Sleepwalking. They say about 15% of the population sleepwalks. And apparently, it is okay to wake someone if they’re found sleepwalking. In fact, you probably ought to if they’re about to step off a cliff or something.
Okay, just one other small fact. Nobody sleeps through the night. We all wake up several times. Most of us don’t realize it, but we do. From hearing a noise, to being too hot/cold, or having to empty our bladders.
One thing is certain, though. Sleep is for all of us. All around the world. A recent study showed that in the United States, 39 percent of the people say they suffer from a sleep disorder (problems falling asleep or staying asleep, insomnia, etc.). Italians were among the worst sleepers in the survey, at 48 percent reporting a sleep disorder, while India registered a higher share of good sleepers, with only 26 percent suffering from poor sleep.
No matter who we are or where we live, we need our sleep.
So nod off, my friends. It is darn good for you.
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“I already want to take a nap tomorrow.”
— Anonymous
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“I’m so good at sleeping that I can do it with my eyes closed.”
— Anonymous
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“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
― Homer, The Odyssey
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Lulled. Sleepy. You’re getting very sleepy…
