Abbigail


Abbigail

Mr. DeGroot 

English 7 

February 29, 2024 



Why Sleep is so Important 

Everyday, for our brains to function properly, we need sleep. Sleep is so important to our mental and physical health so getting the right amount of sleep is super important. If you don’t get the required amount of sleep for your age you will not function as well as when you get the adequate amount. When you get a certain number of hours of sleep, your health is so much better in so many ways. (Jansen, Erica) 

Sleep is important to 1, help fight off diseases, 2, it affects our mental functioning, and 3, help our physical functioning. Erica Jensen (School of public health, University of Michigan) says, “Sleep is important for every part of the body, and it is especially important for young children as their bodies and minds develop. In young children, lack of sleep or poor quality sleep can be associated with difficult behaviors, lower capacity to learn and retain information, and a propensity for poor eating patterns and weight gain.” From just this it’s showing how sleep is so important to help us grow properly. Not only do young children need the sleep to grow but teenagers as well. Even as teenagers we are still growing and still need good sleep to keep on growing well and properly. (Jansen, Erica) 

The Mental Health Foundation states that, “Poor sleep over a sustained period leads to a number of problems which are immediately recognisable, including fatigue, sleepiness, poor concentration, lapses in memory, and irritability.” Sleep really does affect how we act and feel all 


day everyday. This key to having a good and/or productive day. By sleeping well your mentality and health will help you out with daily work (school, documents, ect).Mental health and sleep go hand-and-hand. To maintain our mental health we need to get good sleep because that is the baseline to good health. One night of not sleeping well can lead to a bad mood, bad outcome for your day, or slowly lead to poor mental health. (Sleep matters)   (Johnson, Thomas, and Jenna Fletcher) 

Having poor sleep is associated with conditions like depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Dealing with anxiety, depression, or other conditions can also affect the quality of your daily sleep. Up to one third of the population suffers with insomnia (the lack of sleep or poor quality sleep). Insomnia can affect your concentration level, relationships, energy, and staying awake throughout the day. (Sleep matters) 

With good quality sleep comes many things. Better memory and performance, greater athletic performance, more emotional and social intelligence, stronger immune system, and the prevention of depression are all things that can help you when you get better sleep. . Insomnia is related to the diagnosis of depression. Researchers say that sleep loss can result in cognitive alterations (brain changes or brain changing). Sleep also helps the body regenerate, repair, and recover. One of the reasons why sleep is so essential when sick or hurt is that it is one of the best ways to recover. Sleep regenerates your body from the things you've been through, times when you've been hurt physically or mentally, and times when you've been sick.  (Johnson, Thomas, and Jenna Fletcher) 

Studies and scientists are showing that some athletes need more sleep than the average adult. MedicalNewsToday says, “Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night, but recent studies have suggested that athletes may need more.” The reason for this is because the body heals and regenerates and it does this when you’re sleeping and being an athlete comes with those needs of regeneration and healing from all the activities going on. The stress that comes 


with sports can drain you mentally and physically so getting the right amount of sleep is adequate to your well-being. (Johnson, Thomas, and Jenna Fletcher) 

When people sleep there are four stages to it. Stage one is NREM where a person transitions from alertness and awakeness to sleep. What happens in this stage is a person’s heartbeat, mind waves (communication across your brain), breathing, and eye movements slow down. The next 

stage is NREM (deep sleep). In this stage the muscles relax more and the heart rate slows. People spend most of their sleep time in this stage. About 45% of the sleep period. The second to last stage is NREM (deepest sleep). In this stage the brain waves, heart rate, and breathing slows down the most and your muscles relax completely. This stage is about 25% of your sleep. In this stage your body also repairs itself. It repairs/regrows tissue, builds bone and muscle, and strengthens the immune system. This stage is the most difficult to be woken up from. Bedwetting, sleepwalking, and night terrors occur during this stage. The final stage is REM (dreaming). This stage begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep. During this stage it is most likely that you will get nightmares. Muscles will become paralyzed so you don’t physically act out your dreams. Your eyes will also move from side to side or back and forth pretty rapidly. This process can last from 10 minutes to 60 minutes. (Why is sleep so important?) 

The amount of sleep one should get usually depends on age. Newborns (0-3 months) should get 14-17 hours, infants (4-12 months) should get 12-16 hours, toddlers (1-2 years) should get 11-14 hours, preschool (3-5 years) should get 10-13 hours, school age (6-12 years)
 should get 9-12 hours, teenagers (13-18 years) should get 8-10 hours, adults (18-60) should get 7+ hours, and adults (60+ years) should get 7-8 hours of sleep. One of the main reasons newborns, infants, and toddlers need so much sleep is because their bodies are just starting to develop after birth and are growing more rapidly than other ages. That is the reason why babies and toddlers take naps because otherwise they might not get the right amount of sleep or the amount of sleep that’s etiquette for their age. Older people tend to not get as much sleep in the 

night so they take naps throughout the day to get the full 7 hours or more that they need. Teenegers and adults usually don’t get the adequate amount of sleep because of schedule, stress, anxiety, or depression. Because of these things it’s hard for the brain to shut itself down and wind down after the day. (Why is sleep so important?) 

Sleep is important to our mental and physical health so getting the right amount of sleep for our age is important. This means we need and should get the right amount of sleep everyday to be the best versions of ourselves. 




( "Why is sleep so important .")







Bibliography


Jansen, Erica. University of Michigan School of Public Health , The Regents of the University of Michigan , 2 Mar. 2020, sph.umich.edu/pursuit/2020posts/why-sleep-is-so-important-to-your-health.html#:~:text=Sleep%20is%20essential%20to%20every,metabolism%20and%20chronic%20disease%20risk. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.

 Pacheco, Danielle, and Abhinave Singh. "Why Do We Need Sleep? ." Sleep Foundation , Sleep Doctor Holdings , 8 Dec. 2023 , www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/why-do-we-need-sleep. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.

 Johnson, Thomas, and Jenna Fletcher. "Why is sleep so Important ." Medical News Today , 16 Aug. 2022, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#athletic-performance. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.

 "Why is sleep so important ." NIH, National Heart, Lung, nd Blood Institute , www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/why-sleep-important. Accessed 13 Mar. 2024.

 Sleep matters: the Impact Of Sleep On Health And Wellbeing , Mental Health Foundation , www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/publications/sleep-matters-impact-sleep-health-and-wellbeing . Accessed 13 Mar. 2024.

"Girl sleeping picture" Practice Business Practice Business June 15, 2023 https://practicebusiness.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2023/06/iStock-1093600128.jpg March 21. 2024 









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