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When we sleep, we enter a state of unconsciousness and paralysis, but what happens in our body when we sleep, and what are the effects of lack of sleep?
The circadian rhythm or body clock, located in the brain, regulates sleep cycles. This clock responds to light and increases the production of the hormone melatonin at night and turns it off when it feels light.
There are four phases of sleep that the body cycles through the night. We navigate through these phases three or four times during a good night’s sleep.
Stages one and two correspond to light sleep and are where the transition to falling asleep occurs. Heartbeat and breathing begin to drop, body temperature drops, and sometimes muscles twitch.
Phase three is also called delta sleep because of the low brain waves -delta type- that the brain emits during this phase. Phase three is the first phase of deep sleep. Here is when our cells produce the grandest amount of growth hormone to supply the bones and muscles and allow the body to repair itself.
Phase four is when we begin to dream. The body produces chemicals that temporarily paralyze the body to prevent us from acting as we do in our dreams.
In this phase, the brain is highly active, and although our eyes are closed, they move up and down quickly as if we were awake.
Humans spend about a third of their lives asleep – twenty-five to thirty years on average. Today’s lifestyle, stress, and the exponential increase in technology mean that people today are getting far less sleep than people were 100 years ago.
Sleeping less than seven hours a day is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions that reduce life expectancies, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart problems.
So for longer and healthier life, don’t forget to count sheep and get a whole night’s sleep.
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