Running Head: Study of Sleep

Garrett Thomas
Study of Sleep
Navarro Community College

Study of Sleep

Many people believe that we sleep to recharge our energy. A Greek philosopher named
Galen believed that brain juice flowed from the brain throughout the body during the day to
use for energy and at night the juice would all flow back to the brain to recharge it for the
following day. Today it is obvious that this theory is incorrect but causes people to ask a
question. How do we sleep and what stops us from sleeping?
The National Sleep Foundation Conducted a survey from 1999 to 2004 showing that
around 60 percent of adults suffer from the lack of sleep at least once a week. Over 40 million
people suffer from one to 70 different types of sleeping disorders (National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke). On average, a person needs eight hours of sleep a day but
in todays society people average around six hours a day. Teenagers need an average of nine
hours but only achieve an average of five hours due to the full time job of school. Sixty percent
of high school students say they are drowsy in daytime during school and 15 percent admit to
falling asleep in class (American Psychology Association). The age group with the highest rate of
sleep deprivation is teenagers. Over half of all crashes caused by drowsiness involves drivers in
their teens and twenties (APA). Around 70 percent of children are drowsy at least once a week
(APA).
In order to have deepest sleep, all five stages of the sleep cycle must be entered. The
first stage is lightest stage of sleep and is the easiest stage to wake from. In this stage our
muscles are used marginally and slows to no use and our eye movement is limited. It is not
uncommon for people to wake up in this stage from jolting. This jolting is normally cause by the
feeling of falling. This falling feeling can be caused by the relaxation of the neck muscles letting
the head rotate on the pillow causing the fluid in our ears to shift position. This will cause the

Study of Sleep

brain to force the body to act instinctively to catch itself in the event of a fall waking us up
(NINDS).
Stage two of the sleep cycle our eyes stop moving and the brain is far less active.
Occasionally the brain will have a spike in activity, called sleep spindles, causes a muscle to
twitch and is most common in infants and young children. It is believed that the brain does this
to teach itself what muscles do what as it sleeps (NINDS).
Stages three and four of the sleep cycle have no eye movement muscle movement but
the brain waves become much larger and slower. These waves are called delta waves and
dominate the brains activity during stage four. This is when nightmares, night terrors, and bed
wetting is most common in children. These stages are considered deep sleep and it is very
difficult to wake someone while in these stages. If they do wake from this stage they will most
likely feel groggy (NINDS).
The fifth and final stage is most often referred to as REM sleep which means random
eye movement. Rapid eye movement, high blood pressure, increased heartbeat, and dreams
begin to occur in REM sleep. Most sleep occurs in the first, second, and last stages of sleep. It
takes around 90 to 110 minutes to complete the sleep cycle (NINDS).
Some symptoms and side effects of sleep deprivation include, decreased immune
system strength, schizophrenia, depression, paranoia, hallucinations, agitation, hyper activity,
Alzheimers disease, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, obesity, decreased cognitive skills,
cardiovascular morbidity, hormonal shifts, and seizures. Many causes of sleep deprivation are
jet lag, night shift working, long work weeks, poor diet, and school. There are 70 different sleep

Study of Sleep

disorders but of the 40 million people with these disorders most will have either Insomnia,
Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs Syndrome, or Narcolepsy (NINDS).
Insomnia is when someone either has difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep.
Insomnia can either be a problem caused by an outside modifier, such as jet lag, or be caused
another underlying physical or mental problem. (WebMD). It can be cured by fixing the mental
or physical problem but sometimes it is as simple as practicing good sleeping habits (NINDS)
such as reducing light exposure 30 minutes before you plan on going to bed (Russell Foster).
Sleep apnea is when someone stop breathing in their sleep and is commonly coupled
with snoring. Most of the time they will wake up, but in some cases sleep apnea can be fatal. It
is normally caused by excessive fat in the neck, the weakening of muscles, and neurons that fail
to fire. If left untreated, sleep apnea can causes headaches, heart attack, high blood pressure,
and strokes. Sleep apnea is commonly fixed by, weight loss, surgery or by sleeping with a
breathing machine.
Restless leg syndrome is when someones legs ache and the only way to sooth
the pain is to keep moving them. Restless leg syndrome is more common in the older
population, but can it can be associated with anyone who has anemia, diabetes, or is pregnant.
It is credited to causing insomnia in one third of insomnia patients who are 60 and older. It can
pain can be removed by medication that affects dopamine levels in the body (NINDS).
Narcolepsy is when the brain random chooses to fall asleep. In todays society there
many scenarios where this can be fatal such as, driving, swimming, jogging, and all other
activities that could become fatal with sudden muscle relaxation. Narcolepsy is caused by the
mutation of the hypocretin receptor gene two but a cure has not been found.

Study of Sleep

All cells in the body produce their own waste that needs to be removed from the body
in order to stay healthy. The lymphatic system is the part of the circulatory system that
removes the cells waste and takes it to the kidneys for disposal. The lymphatic system is in
contact with every part of the body except for the brain. Cerebral spinal fluid is a liquid that
surrounds the brain and absorbs the brains waste products and dumps it into the lymphatic
system. Another difference between the brain and the rest of the body is the brain only cleans
itself when we are asleep were the rest of the body will clean itself with every heartbeat. When
sleeping, the cells in the brain shrink allowing for the cerebral spinal fluid to travel through the
brain along the walls of the blood vessels.
Sleep is what allows us to function properly and keeps us moving physically and
mentally. It is a very necessary part of life and must be anticipated. To get the best night sleep
we need to dim the lights at least 30 minutes before we go to sleep because light increases
brain activity. Brush your teeth 30 minutes before bed because when you go into the bathroom
to do so you turn on a bright light. The temperature needs to be slightly cool but not
uncomfortable. TVs and computers need to be turned off because they will increase brain
activity. Caffeine should not be intake after lunch.

Study of Sleep

Sources
One more reason to get a good night's sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_iliff_one_more_reason_to_get_a_good_night_s_sleep#t
-657120
Why do we sleep? (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep#t-621507
Why sleep is important and what happens when you don't get enough.
(n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://apa.org/topics/sleep/why.aspx
Insomnia (Chronic and Acute Insomnia) Causes and Symptoms. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 17, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/insomniasymptoms-and-causes
Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/understanding_sleep.htm
To sleep, perchance to twitch. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan06/twitch.aspx