A man is sixteen hours awake and only eight sleeps. In this process, he sees vivid dreams. But why do we need dreams for man and what is it? Sleep is a process that occurs in living organisms. For human physiology, it is a natural process, a vital need of the human body. It is as important as food. Sleep is a complex functional state of the brain.
What is a dream?
Sleep is the state of the human body and other living things (animals, insects, birds), in which the reaction to external stimuli decreases. Slow sleep - a condition after falling asleep, which lasts 1-1.5 hours. In this state, the information received per day is assimilated and strength is restored.
Why is sleep necessary and what stages does it go through?
- At the first stage, the respiratory rate, heart rate and heart rate decrease, the temperature decreases and spontaneous twitching can be observed.
- In the second stage, the heart rate and temperature continue to decrease, the eyes are motionless, the sensitivity increases, a person can easily wake up.
- The third and fourth stages relate to deep sleep, it is difficult to wake a person, it is at this time that about 80% of dreams form. Also, it was at this time that there were cases of enuresis, sleepwalking attacks, nightmares and involuntary conversations, but a person cannot do anything about it, and after waking up, he may not remember what is happening.
Fast sleep
REM sleep - comes after a slow one and lasts from 10 to 15 minutes. Pulse and heart rate are gradually restored. A person is motionless, and his eyes can make quick movements. During REM sleep, a person is easy to wake.
What is a dream?
At the time of sleep, changes are observed in the department of the brain and spinal cord. It is a combination of several different phases. A person falling asleep goes into a state of slow sleep. He is popularly called a nap. After some time, a transition to the second state occurs. It is called the "embrace of Morpheus." The third condition is called deep sleep. From a state of deep sleep, a person goes into the fourth state. The fourth state is called sound sleep, is considered final. It is almost impossible to make him wake up.
In a state of slow sleep, growth hormone begins to be produced in the human body, tissue regeneration of internal organs and skin begins, and the pulse decreases.
Sleep pattern
The structure of sleep consists of phases. They are repeated and alternate with each other every night. A person has a slow and fast sleep per night. There are five sleep cycles. Each cycle lasts from eighty to one hundred minutes. Slow sleep consists of four states:
- In the first state of sleep, a person's heart rate decreases. This condition is called nap. At such a moment, a person sees his dreams and hallucinations. In this state, unexpected ideas may come to a person.
- The second state of sleep is characterized by heart palpitations. In this state, a person turns off consciousness.
- During the third stage, it will not be difficult to make a person wake up. A person at this moment becomes very sensitive to any irritants. At this stage, a person’s hearing becomes aggravated. During sleep, a person may wake up from a small noise. The pulse remains so.
- In the fourth state, a person is in a state of deep sleep. Sometimes the third and fourth are combined into one. This general condition is called delta sleep. At this moment, it is very difficult to make a person wake up. Often dreams can be seen at this stage. Nightmares can also occur.
Four sleep states occupy 70% of the whole process. Therefore, another factor why sleep is needed and why lies in the restoration of resources expended.
Sleep function
The functions of sleep are to restore the vital resources expended during a person’s wakefulness. Also during sleep, vital resources accumulate in the human body. When a person wakes up, vital resources are activated.
The sleep function performs an informational task. When a person sleeps, he ceases to perceive new information. At this moment, the human brain processes the information accumulated during the day and systematizes it. Sleep performs psychological functions. At the time of sleep, emotions become active in humans. Coordination in a person becomes passive, immunity begins to recover. When a person is sleeping, his mental and emotional state returns to normal. Sleep helps you adapt to different lighting conditions. During sleep, the protection and restoration of human organs and the entire body system occurs.
Does a person need a dream? Yes, it allows you to solve important and complex tasks, includes the protective functions of the body.
Sleep disturbance
Each person has a disturbance in sleep mode. Some people cannot sleep well, while others, on the contrary, want to sleep in the daytime. If this does not happen often, there is nothing to fear, but if it happens often, it is already a disease. If this happens rarely, a person does not have big problems.
With frequent disturbance in sleep mode, a person can not lead a normal lifestyle, this indicates that he is sick. Only 10% of people suffering from this come to the hospital for help. The rest are trying to cope with the disease on their own. To do this, they are self-medicating. Other people do not pay attention to the disease.
Insomnia as a pathology
Sleep disorders include insomnia. With such a disease, it is difficult for a person to fall asleep, he cannot plunge into a sleepy state. More often, the disease occurs due to a mental disorder, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, medications, and stress.
Absolute sleep disturbance can be directly related to domestic factors and to changes in the work schedule.
What are dreams for?
Sleep is good for the human body:
- Eliminates stress in the muscle and nervous system.
- Restores concentration.
- Improves attention and memory at this moment.
- By 49% will reduce the risk of heart disease.
- After sleep, a person becomes energetic, cheerful, there is a desire to engage in creative activities.
- Daytime sleep allows a person to sleep in those cases when this can not be done at night.
- For half an hour of sleep, a person finds answers to the most difficult questions.
- At this time, the brain works intensively, and the body is in a relaxed state.
- Waking up, he does not feel the nervousness that he had. A person ceases to develop stress.
- When he wakes up, he feels happy, because by this moment he has the level of the hormone of happiness in blood rising.
- Being in a state of slumber, a person as if enters into a state of meditation. At this moment, his connection with the outside world begins to break.
- A person has a close relationship with the subconscious.
- At this moment, brilliant ideas and unexpected discoveries are born in a person.
Sleep during the day - benefit or harm?
Rest in the afternoon is peculiar to the child. Whether sleep is needed for adults is another question, it all depends on individual characteristics. After a morning sleep, a person becomes alert, energetic, and mental clarity appears. A small morning sleep gives a positive charge during the day. It helps when a person does a monotonous job and during a change of weather. It improves imagination, concentration and attention, so many people like to sleep during the day.
But is daytime sleep needed and how important is it? Scientists have been able to prove that it helps in the fight against stress and disease. Supports the regenerative processes taking place in the human body. During sleep, a person becomes younger. Such a dream relieves psychological and muscle tension in humans. This dream allows you to restart the human body. As a result, the human body is debugged. During the morning sleep, a person finds solutions to questions that concern him. Having woken up, a person realizes what is the answer to his question.
It does not always allow the body to recover. It happens that after him a person feels overwhelmed and tired. What is the reason for this factor? A person should not sleep during the day for too long, otherwise there will be disturbances in the perception of time.
How much sleep do you need?
In people who give the same amount of night sleep, life expectancy doubles than that of a person whose sleep duration is reduced to a minimum. To ensure that sleep brings maximum benefits, scientists have found that compliance with the regime is an integral part of life. Otherwise, the biological clock goes astray and health problems begin.
The duration of sleep will be more productive if you sleep continuously for 7-8 hours. It is proved that 6 hours of continuous sleep have a beneficial effect on a person’s condition than 7-8 hours of interrupted sleep. Awakened after sleep, a person should get used to the regimen. In order not to fall asleep again after waking up, you should not lie in bed for a long time, the body quickly adapts to changes.
Doctors recommend: to spend a lot of time in the fresh air, not to eat up 2 hours before bedtime, do relaxing baths, try not to sleep during the day, buy a comfortable mattress and pillow and observe a continuous sleep regimen for 7-8 hours. If a person has slept well, then when he loses control over a task, the brain regains attention, but the brain of a sleepy person is not completely attentive and focused, and does not correctly perceive the world around him.
Long sleep is 10-15 hours a day. During such a dream, a person quickly overtaxes. He manifests diseases such as obesity, problems with internal organs and blood flow begin, and people are overcome by laziness, apathy, and confuse the time of day (day and night).
It is vital to get enough sleep to restore the emotional background and physical strength, as well as to allow the body to renew strength during and after the illness. Each person needs to choose an individual schedule in order to get enough sleep and be awake, so there is no definite answer to the question how much a person needs for sleep.