Sleep is a natural process in which a person is in a state of minimal brain activity and has a reduced reaction to the outside world. We can say that sleep is a special state of consciousness, which includes several stages, which are naturally repeated during the night. The appearance of these stages is associated with the activity of various brain structures.
Sleep stages
There is a slow and fast sleep. Slow lasts 90 minutes and has several stages:
1. The first is a nap, which may be accompanied by dreamlike hallucinations and hallucinogenic thoughts. In this period, muscle activity is reduced, hypnogogic twitching can be observed.
2. The second is a light sleep, which lasts 20 minutes and is characterized by a slowdown in heart rate and a decrease in temperature. During this period, the person who is sleeping is easy to wake up. The most sensitive is the auditory analyzer.
3. The third is a slow sleep.
4. The fourth is the deepest delta sleep. It is difficult to wake a person at this stage. Almost 80% of dreams, sleepwalking and cases of enuresis are recorded during this period.
REM sleep was discovered by Kleitman and Aserinsky. They found rapid fluctuations in the electrical activity of the brain in people who are sleeping.
It should be noted that there is still a cortical theory of sleep, according to which the inhibition of conditioned reflexes and sleep are identical processes. So, I.P. Pavlov considered internal inhibition as a localized phenomenon that applies only to individual cells of the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. At the same time, he regarded the dream as the irradiation of such inhibition into two hemispheres and into other parts of the central nervous system.
What is the value of sleep?
Everyone knows that for a full-fledged training or work you need to relax. One of the main types of relaxation is just a dream. During it, the body recovers its energy consumption, which took place during wakefulness. In addition, sleep is responsible for the psychological protection and processing of information, as well as for its exchange between consciousness and the subconscious.
It can be argued that the value of sleep lies in the fact that it is necessary to maintain human health and ensure its performance. It should also be noted that it is during sleep that the muscle fibers are most actively resting and recovering, especially after exercise, as well as undergoing recovery processes throughout the body.
It should be said that during wakefulness, nerve cells get tired. To prevent their depletion, you need to sleep a certain number of hours. It is interesting to know that at different times of the day, the value of sleep can vary dramatically. In addition, this parameter may depend on whether the person is a “lark” or “owl”, that is, on individual characteristics and the usual regime of the day.
How many hours do you need to sleep?
The normal duration of sleep, which would be sufficient for optimal recovery of strength and energy, varies depending on age. It is clear that, for example, a newborn baby sleeps much more. For him, the normal duration of sleep is approximately 11-23 hours. With age, it decreases. At the age of two, children, as a rule, sleep for 10-12 hours, at the age of 2 to 4 years - about 5-6 hours.
There is an assumption that the value of sleep at different times of the day may vary. Modern life is quite eventful, so people often forget about the importance of a night's rest. For a healthy person, it is enough to sleep for 12 corresponding hours to fully restore their strength. If you indicate the value of sleep by the hour, then you can create a specific table.
Night Sleep Value Chart
time | 1 hour sleep value |
19.00-20.00 | 7 o'clock |
20.00-21.00 | 6 o'clock |
21.00-22.00 | 5:00 |
22.00-23.00 | 4 hours |
23.00-00.00 | 3 hours |
00.00-01.00 | 2 hours |
01.00-02.00 | 1 hour |
02.00-03.00 | 30 minutes |
03.00-04.00 | 15 minutes |
04.00-05.00 | 7 minutes |
05.00-06.00 | 1 minute |
Considering the value of sleep (the table above), we can conclude that the body rests sufficiently if you sleep at the appropriate hours. Other sleep times are not beneficial.
The consequences of sleep deficiency
It should be noted that with diseases or intense exertion, the need for sleep increases. If the night's rest does not last long enough, the following violations occur:
• hormonal disruptions;
• negative changes in metabolism;
• increased risk of cancer;
• increased chances of developing cardiovascular disease;
• decrease in immunity;
• low level of general body tone;
• insufficient development of attention and performance;
• psychomotor agitation;
• lack of quick reaction and stamina.
In addition, each person can notice a deterioration in memory and mood if at least 3 hours of sleep were not enough, however, it should be remembered that its excessive duration also negatively affects the body. After an excessive night's rest, a person feels flabby all day and feels certain discomfort.
In order for the sleep to be complete, it is imperative to establish its individual duration, since optimal rest of the nervous system is the key to good tolerance of various loads during the day, as well as prevention of the development of neurosis.
What to do to improve sleep
In order for night sleep to bring maximum benefits, you should adjust the mode of the day. It is advisable to fall asleep and wake up at the same time. In case of sleep disorders, it is not recommended to immediately take sleeping pills, it is better to use other methods to which pathological dependence does not develop.
What principles should be followed? Here is some of them:
• before a night's sleep, you need to avoid emotional stress;
• dinner is recommended no later than 3 hours before bedtime;
• a positive result is given by airing the room;
• attention should be paid to the quality of the pillow and mattress;
• it is useful to take a walk before bedtime, intense physical activity is contraindicated;
• a good effect gives a head massage in a few minutes;
• a general relaxing body massage can be performed;
• water procedures have a calming effect;
• if necessary, you can use self-hypnosis, which includes various relaxation methods;
• Do not drink coffee, strong tea or any other tonic drink before going to bed; in addition, it is advisable not to drink a lot of liquid in the evening hours, because after waking up it can be difficult to fall asleep again.
Compliance with such rules will allow you to stay healthy and always alert.