Sleep is a natural process in which a person is in a state of minimal brain activity and has a reduced reaction to the world around him. We can say that sleep is a special state of consciousness, which includes several stages, which are regularly repeated during the night. The appearance of these stages is associated with the activity of various brain structures.
Sleep stages
There is slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. Slow lasts 90 minutes and has several stages:
1. The first is drowsiness, which may be accompanied by dream-like hallucinations and hallucinogenic thoughts. During this period, muscle activity is reduced, hypnogogic twitches may be observed.
2. The second is light sleep, which lasts 20 minutes and is characterized by a slowing of the heart rate and a decrease in temperature. During this period, a person who is sleeping is easy to wake up. The auditory analyzer is the most sensitive.
3. The third is slow sleep.
4. The fourth is the deepest delta sleep. It is difficult to wake a person at this stage. Almost 80% of dreams, sleepwalking and cases of enuresis are recorded during this period.
REM sleep was discovered by Kleitman and Aserinsky. They arefound rapid fluctuations in the electrical activity of the brain in people who sleep.
It should be noted that there is also a cortical theory of sleep, according to which inhibition of conditioned reflexes and sleep are identical processes. So, IP Pavlov considered internal inhibition as a localized phenomenon that extends only to individual cells of the cerebral cortex. At the same time, he considered sleep as the irradiation of such inhibition to the two hemispheres and to other parts of the central nervous system.
What is the value of sleep?
Everyone knows that in order to fully study or work, you need to rest. One of the main types of rest is sleep. During it, the body restores its energy consumption, which took place during the wakefulness period. In addition, sleep is responsible for psychological protection and processing of information, as well as for its exchange between consciousness and subconsciousness.
It can be argued that the value of sleep lies in the fact that it is necessary to maintain human he alth and ensure its performance. It should also be noted that it is during sleep that muscle fibers are most actively resting and recovering, especially after exercise, as well as recovery processes throughout the body.
It should be said that during wakefulness, nerve cells get tired. To prevent their exhaustion, you need to sleep a certain number of hours. It is interesting to know that at different times of the day, the value of sleep can vary dramatically. In addition, this parameter may depend on whether the person is"lark" or "owl", that is, from individual characteristics and the usual daily routine.
How many hours of sleep do you need?
Normal sleep duration, which would be sufficient for optimal recovery of strength and energy, varies with age. It is clear that, for example, a newborn baby sleeps much more. For him, the normal duration of sleep is approximately 11-23 hours. With age, it decreases. At the age of two, children usually sleep for 10-12 hours, at the age of 2 to 4 years - about 5-6 hours.
There is an assumption that the value of sleep at different times of the day may differ. Modern life is quite busy, so people often forget about the importance of a night's rest. For a he althy person, it is enough to sleep for 12 corresponding hours in order to fully restore their strength. If you indicate the value of sleep by the hour, then you can make a certain table.
Night Sleep Value Chart
| time | value of 1 hour sleep |
| 19.00-20.00 | 7 hours |
| 20.00-21.00 | 6 hours |
| 21.00-22.00 | 5 hours |
| 22.00-23.00 | 4 hours |
| 23.00-00.00 | 3 hours |
| 00.00-01.00 | 2 hours |
| 01.00-02.00 | 1 hour |
| 02.00-03.00 | 30 minutes |
| 03.00-04.00 | 15 minutes |
| 04.00-05.00 | 7 minutes |
| 05.00-06.00 | 1 minute |
Considering the value of sleep (table above), we can conclude that the body rests sufficiently if you sleep at the appropriate hours. Other sleep times are not useful.
Consequences of inadequate sleep
It should be noted that with illness or intense stress, the need for sleep increases. If the night's rest continues for an insufficient amount of time, then the following violations occur:
• hormonal disruptions;
• negative metabolic changes;
• increased risk of cancer;
• increased chances of developing cardiovascular disease;
• reduced immunity;
• low level of general body tone;
• insufficient development of attention and working capacity;
• psychomotor agitation;
• Lack of quick reflexes and stamina.
In addition, each person may notice a deterioration in memory and mood if at least 3 hours of sleep were not enough, but it should be remembered that its excessive duration also negatively affects the body. After an excessive night's rest, a person feels all dayfeeling flabby and experiencing some discomfort.
In order for sleep to be full, it is imperative to set its individual duration, since optimal rest of the nervous system is the key to good tolerance of various loads during the day, as well as prevention of the development of neurosis.
What to do to improve sleep
To get the most out of your night's sleep, you need to adjust your daily routine. It is advisable to go to sleep and wake up at the same time. In case of sleep disorders, it is not recommended to immediately take sleeping pills, it is better to use other methods that do not develop pathological dependence.
What principles should be followed? Here are some of them:
• Emotional stress should be avoided before bedtime;
• Dinner is recommended no later than 3 hours before bedtime;
• airing the room gives a positive result;
• attention should be paid to the quality of the pillow and mattress;
• it is good to take a walk before going to bed, intense physical activity is contraindicated;
• a head massage for a few minutes gives a good effect;
• general relaxing body massage can be done;
• water treatments have a calming effect;
• if necessary, you can use self-hypnosis, which includes various relaxation methods;
• Do not drink coffee, strong tea or any other tonic drink before going to bed; in addition, it is advisable not to drink a lot of liquid in the eveninghours, as it can be difficult to fall asleep again after waking up.
Compliance with these rules will allow you to stay he althy and always cheerful.
