In: Psychology
1). Sleep is one of those funny things about being a human being -- you just have to do it. Have you ever wondered why? And what about the crazy dreams, like the one where a bad person is chasing you and you can't run or yell. Does that make any sense?
Sleep is a period of rest that alternates with wakefulness. You
have internal body clocks that control when you are awake and when
your body is ready for sleep. These clocks have cycles of
approximately 24 hours. The clocks are regulated by multiple
factors, including light, darkness, and sleep schedules. Once
asleep, you cycle through the stages of sleep throughout the night
in a predictable pattern.
Sleep is important because it affects many of your body’s systems.
Not getting enough sleep or enough quality sleep raises your risk
for heart and respiratory problems and affects your metabolism and
ability to think clearly and focus on tasks.
2). Healthy sleep is critical for everyone since we all need to retain information and learn skills to thrive in life. But this is likely part of the reason children—who acquire language, social, and motor skills at a breathtaking pace throughout their development—need more sleep than adults. While adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, one-year-olds need roughly 11 to 14 hours, school-age children between 9 and 11, and teenagers between 8 and 10.During these critical periods of growth and learning, younger people need a heavy dose of slumber for optimal development and alertness.
Unfortunately, a person can't just accumulate sleep deprivation and then log many hours of sleep to make up for it (although paying back "sleep debt" is always a good idea if you're sleep deprived). The best sleep habits are consistent, healthy routines that allow all of us, regardless of our age, to meet our sleep needs every night, and keep on top of life's challenges every day.
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