Why do we sleep?

Sleep is indispensable function for good health. In fact, we need sleep to survive- just like we need food and water. So, it’s no wonder we spend about one-third of our time in sleeping.

Many biological processes happen during sleep: The brain stores new information and gets rid of toxic waste. Nerve cells communicate and reorganize, which helps brain for healthy functioning. The body repairs cells, restores energy and releases molecules such as hormones and proteins. The processes are critical for our overall health. Without them, our bodies can’t function correctly.

When we work on our any project, sometimes it takes lot of time, sometimes it just happens at a glance. The reason is our body clock.

From sunrise in the morning to the sunset at evening there are number of enzymes working. Some makes us alert some makes us tired some say wake up its morning, some says sleep because its night.

Let’s take a closer look at why do we sleep, along with what happens if we don’t get enough sleep and many mysteries to unlock.

 A lot is still unknown about the purpose of sleep. The topics which we are going to know are-

• How do we feel sleepy and how does the brain reacts?
• How does body recover during sleep?
• Why do we need to sleep?
• How much sleep do we really need?
• What does the brain do when we are in deep sleep?
• Why do we dream?
• Does body paralyses in sleeping?
• How does body know to wake up?
• Why body does never feels to pee when at sleep?
• Why nightfall happen when at sleep?
• What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?

 

Let’s dig into the topics.

sleep

How do we feel sleepy and how brain reacts?

When sun sets at night, the red and orange colors of sunset activates retina which increases melatonin hormone in the eyes.

Melatonin is that hormone which is reason we feel sleepy at night. It makes us tired and in that way eyes close and we are not in condition to work anything. Brain gets signal that it’s time to sleep.

Brain replaces high frequency signals which worked throughout day to be hyper active to low frequency waves. Low frequency waves slowdowns the actions and makes brain relax.

How does the body recover during sleep?

When we turn to sleep mode our growth hormones gets activated. Like every machine has to be maintained by giving proper oiling and servicing in that same way our body goes to workshop where every type of cell damage, skin damage, muscle damage, hair damage and injury heals at night.

If you have question why babies keep sleeping for so many hours, here’s the answer because growth hormones are more secreted in them which is essential for their further growth of course there are many things to grow.

But that doesn’t mean, after becoming adult we don’t require sleep as all growth which has to be done is completed in early stages.

Why do we need to sleep?

Body is like computer, yes you get it right where brain is a processor. When a computer doesn’t work properly, what we more likely to do, we shut down the computer- just to restart it and make it properly function. In that same way sleeping is our restart function.

How much sleep do we really need?

Scientist research made it clear that sleep is important at any age and given recommendation chart for each age group.

sleep recommendation according to age group

 What does brain when we are in deep sleep?

Things we have realized or picked up during the day are filed in memory from research and when we are at deep sleep brain starts analyzing it. 

The process is particularly important for creating long-term memories and which are not so important gets deleted.

Why do we dream?

Dreaming is part of healthy sleep. Good sleep has been connected to cognitive function and emotional health, studies also linked it to thinking, memory, and emotional processing.

Does body paralyses in sleeping?

After deep sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) phase begins where body is fully paralyzed but eyes continue to move which turns us into a dream. 

where blood pressure, heartbeats , breathing process speeds up throughout the process.

Muscles paralysis is temporary, some scientists think this might be because the physically body doesn’t act in dreams.

Dream structures through emotion which brain have encountered in day time. That’s why people say not to watch scary movies, TV series at night or say not to watch crime scenes to children.

In this process, many a time we feel we had 2-3 dreams at single sleep, isn’t it?

Yes, it happens after completing first dream body goes into deep sleep then again starts to dreams.

Even body temperature decreases which say take a blanket you need it.

 

How does body know to wake up?

wake up morning

As sun arises, stress hormone cortisol  function activates, it wakes up in the morning and we get consciousness that wake up its morning.

But waking up as alarm rings could be dangerous. how?

Even if you have got conscious but every part of brain never wakes up at same time, parts aren’t ready to start quickly.

That’s how body restarts in the morning.

 

Why body does never feels to pee when at sleep?

Body says to go toilet after every two hours of the day, sometimes we have chain of rounds to bathroom but at night it doesn’t.

 Thanks to ADH, an anti-diuretic hormone released by the brain which switches off the need to urinate so often overnight from research.

 
Why nightfall happens when at sleep?

human falling down

According to research, it’s because of hormonal changes in frequently. It’s likely to happen mostly in teenagers, teenagers are at puberty where hormones keeps fluctuating.

When girls are at puberty, menstrual cycle begins and hormones like luteinizing, follicle-stimulating, estrogens and progesterone which works simultaneously by increasing and decreasing level of secretion.

But why night fall in boys, even hormonal changes aren’t frequent because it’s just testosterone.

It is called nocturnal emission. In male body, secretion of semen is continuous process. As old semen is ejaculated from body and new semen is secreted. If old semen is not expelled from body or it is secreted in excess then body itself ejaculate which may be in form of leakage in sleeping phase. So how body does it?

At night brain controls all emotions of body so when things come to sex which is untouchable topic to speak about, brain turns those emotions into dreams which activates sex hormones and says it’s time to ejaculate old semen and its normal for twice a month if happens frequently then it may be time to go to the doctor.

 

What happens If we don’t get enough sleep?

As we know sleep is vital mode to us, when we are sleep deprived dark circles and swelling arise under the eye that means growth hormones have not got enough time to repair it.

One more thing you will be surprised to know that reason to happen accidents are because of lack of sleep, the body is in confusion state at night to a situation whether to sleep or be alert.

 

 Summary

Sleep keeps us healthy and well functioning. It lets your body and brain repair, restore and re-energize.

If you don’t get enough sleep, you might experience side effects like poor memory and focus, mood changes and weakened immunity.

Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. If you’re having trouble in sleeping, talk to your doctor. They can find out the underlying cause and may help to improve the quality of your sleep. 

read more...