WHY DO WE NEED SLEEP ANYWAY?
Sleep is essential for good health, mental and emotional functioning and safety. Researchers find chronic insomniacs are more than likely to develop various psychiatric problems, and make greater demands on healthcare services.
Sufferers of a sleep disorder called sleep apnoea are at risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke and motor vehicle crashes.
Even occasional sleeping problems bring more stress into daily life or cause you to be less productive. Respondents to the survey who had trouble getting enough sleep, reported a greater difficulty concentrating, completing tasks and handling minor irritations. Sleep loss impairs the ability to perform tasks involving memory, learning and logical reasoning. This can lead to mistakes or unfulfilled potential at school, or on the job and strained relationships at home.
Sleeplessness is a significant contributor of absenteeism. Too little sleep can lead to serious accidents. In the USA, an estimated 100,000 car crashes annually are fatigue related. They cause more than 1,500 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries and lasting disabilities. More than any other age group, the problem hits drivers aged 25 or under.
HOW MUCH SLEEP IS ENOUGH?
Most healthy adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Some people can function without sleepiness or drowsiness, after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they sleep ten hours.
So, how do you measure how much sleep you truly need? Maybe you doze during boring or monotonous situations, when fatigue is often "unmasked".
If so, you probably need more good-quality sleep. Other signs are unreasonable irritability to co-workers, family or friends, and difficulty concentrating, or remembering things.
IS ALL SLEEP THE SAME?
No, a lot is actually happening even in your deepest sleep. "Sleep architecture" is the term used to describe an alternating pattern of rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. In REM sleep you dream, and experience a high level of mental and physical activity. In fact, your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing are similar to waking hours.
Scientists say best sleep has the right mix of REM and non-REM sleep. Getting enough sleep without interruptions from your environment or from internal factors such as your breathing is more likely to maintain your natural sleep architecture and result in restful and restorative sleep.
