Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life. To get the most out of our sleep, both quantity and quality are important. Teens need at least 8 hours and on average 9¼ hours a night of uninterrupted sleep to leave their bodies and minds rejuvenated for the next day. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities. The function of sleep has stumped scientists for thousands of years, but modern research is providing new clues about what it does for both the mind and body. Sleep reenergizes the body’s cells, clear waste from the brain, and support learning and memory. It even plays vital roles in regulating mood and a persons appetite. The brain generates two distinct types of sleep—slow-wave sleep, known as deep sleep, and rapid eye movement, also called dreaming sleep. Most of the sleeping we do is characterized by large, slow brain waves, relaxed muscles and slow, deep breathing, which may help the brain and body to recuperate after a long day. When we fall asleep, the brain does not merely go offline, as symbolized by the common phrase “out like a light.” Instead theres events that puts the brain to sleep in stages. Scientists now have concrete evidence that two groups of cells the ventrolateral pre optic nucleus in the hypothalamus and the parafacial zone in the brain stem are involved in prompting SWS. When these cells switch on, it triggers a loss of consciousness. After SWS, REM sleep begins. This mode is bizarre: a dreamer's brain becomes highly active while the body's muscles are paralyzed, and breathing and heart rate become erratic. The purpose of REM sleep
Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life. To get the most out of our sleep, both quantity and quality are important. Teens need at least 8 hours and on average 9¼ hours a night of uninterrupted sleep to leave their bodies and minds rejuvenated for the next day. If sleep is cut short, the body doesn’t have time to complete all of the phases needed for muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities. The function of sleep has stumped scientists for thousands of years, but modern research is providing new clues about what it does for both the mind and body. Sleep reenergizes the body’s cells, clear waste from the brain, and support learning and memory. It even plays vital roles in regulating mood and a persons appetite. The brain generates two distinct types of sleep—slow-wave sleep, known as deep sleep, and rapid eye movement, also called dreaming sleep. Most of the sleeping we do is characterized by large, slow brain waves, relaxed muscles and slow, deep breathing, which may help the brain and body to recuperate after a long day. When we fall asleep, the brain does not merely go offline, as symbolized by the common phrase “out like a light.” Instead theres events that puts the brain to sleep in stages. Scientists now have concrete evidence that two groups of cells the ventrolateral pre optic nucleus in the hypothalamus and the parafacial zone in the brain stem are involved in prompting SWS. When these cells switch on, it triggers a loss of consciousness. After SWS, REM sleep begins. This mode is bizarre: a dreamer's brain becomes highly active while the body's muscles are paralyzed, and breathing and heart rate become erratic. The purpose of REM sleep