The Importance of Sleep

Cody W. McPherson
Mary Mackie
Composition II English
16 June 2012
Importance of Sleep
The Importance of sleep is resting your body and your brain for hours. If people don’t get enough sleep then they will be in bad moods and will not be able to concentrate on others or even on their work at their job. You will not have the patients to deal with situations in everyday life or even in your work place like you would if you had a full night of sleep. Everyone needs sleep. Everyone’s body is different when it comes to the amount of sleep that you need to function everyday. Lack of sleep can cause parts of your body to shut down.
Every individual is different on how much sleep they need. The smaller you are the more sleep you need; as you get older you don’t need as much sleep as you would when you were a baby or even a young school age child. Most adults need 7 to 8 hours to get the best sleep to function for the next day. During the 7 to 8 hours your body goes into a deep sleep that helps your body be ready for the next day to give you the energy that you will need. Some adults may need less or even more sleep then the average amount of sleep. Other individuals might need a nap during the day to function at their highest ability. The body will let your brain know when your getting tired, and you will start dozing off to the sleep that the body needs for the night.

Lack of sleep can also cause you to get depressed and down on your self for no reason because you are punishing your body by not getting enough rest. When you get all down and depressed you could cause self-harm and it’s not worth it. Lack of sleep can cause you to be sick and get a low immune system because your body hasn’t rested enough to function. Most people think they are okay to drive on a limited amount of sleep and they tend to doze off when they are driving. When people get sleepy when they are behind the wheel they tend to roll down the windows or turn up the radio to stay awake when driving home or to their location. If you are tired why would you risk your life as well as someone else who is o the road?“ Driver fatigue is responsible for an estimated 56,000 motor vehicle accidents and 1,500 deaths each year according to the National Highway traffic safety Administration.” (Norzario, Brunilda)
If you don’t get sleep your body cannot rest for the next day. In order to stay healthy your body needs sleep. When you sleep it helps your memory, it will strengthen your immune system, it will also fight inflammation and swelling that your body may have gotten that day. It also helps keep your blood vessels in tip-top shape. When you sleep at night it strengthens your memory and you will grasp your task for the next day. If you get less then 6 hours of sleep your body is at more risk of a heart attack and a stroke. Lack of sleep can hurt your health by making you gain weight and will lead to diabetes. When you don’t rest enough the body cannot produce enough insulin, which could cause you blood sugar to bottom out. If your blood sugar bottoms out depending on how bad it is it could cause the body to go into a diabetic coma.

Your brain needs to rest when you lay down at night. Insomnia can cause damage to the brain. People with insomnia have problems falling asleep or even will wake up frequently during the night. Insomnia will affect your memory and will often cause headaches and will make you feel sick. If the brain doesn’t get enough rest it will not produce the oxygen that it will need to use, the oxygen helps with the toxic levels of stress hormones and will put a strain on your heart, this is called sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, you will have a smaller brain.
Behavior is another big factor that you will experience when you don’t have enough sleep. Co-workers can pick up on it and when they try to have a conversation with you, you might spark an attitude not meaning to. Having little sleep and going to work can cause you to speak without thinking and could get in a lot of trouble. You don’t realize how bad you can treat someone when getting no sleep. A good attitude is what you strive for in an everyday life and it will make the world go around.
Problems that people have going to sleep. If you keep a regular sleep schedule when you go to bed and a set time that you wake up. Caffeine has a lot to do with when your body starts winding down for sleep so don’t drink it close to gong to bed. If you exercise during the day it will help your body for when you want to relax at night. If you eat a big meal before you go to bed it can make you feel sleepy.
So I have learned that you can cause harm to your body when you don’t get enough sleep. I need my brain to function in everyday life. Every individual is different on how much sleep they need. The importance of being able to function everyday is letting the body to rest. When trying to operate a motor vehicle when you are tired can cause a wreck or deadly accident putting yourself and others in danger. Sleep is important to everyone.
Works Cited
Fotuni, Majid. “Dr. Oz Show” Wake u how poor sleep hurts your brain (2012) June 14, 2012. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/poor-sleep-hurts-your-brain

Harding, Ann. “Your heart healthy life” How lack of sleep hurts your health (February 23,2012) June 14, 2012. http://www.health.com/health/condition-article

Norzario, Brunilda, “ Web MD.” Are you getting enough sleep (November 29, 2011) June 14, 2012. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-requirements

Cited: Fotuni, Majid. “Dr. Oz Show” Wake u how poor sleep hurts your brain (2012) June 14, 2012. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/poor-sleep-hurts-your-brain Harding, Ann. “Your heart healthy life” How lack of sleep hurts your health (February 23,2012) June 14, 2012. http://www.health.com/health/condition-article Norzario, Brunilda, “ Web MD.” Are you getting enough sleep (November 29, 2011) June 14, 2012. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/sleep-requirements