1:03 AM
Mick Turner
The activities we engage in instead of sleeping may be related to our poor sleep. We also know that more people are relying on medications for sleep and wakefulness. To know more about your sleep, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Under what conditions is it difficult to sleep?
- At what time during the night is it difficult to sleep?
- How many times during the night do you wake up?
- What wakes you up?
- How often do you have problems sleeping?
Also be aware of any sleepiness you feel in the daytime, your bedtime and wake time, and periods when you expect to be awake. Note how any or all of these answers affect your ability to function and enjoy life. Here are some additional questions to help you understand how your sleep affects you:
- Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions?
- Experiencing drowsiness when you drive or are engaged in other activities?
- Feeling moody or irritable with others?
Physiology behind sleep
These questions are just examples used to illustrate the importance of sleep and how lack of sleep can affect our mental abilities, personality, mood, and safety. It is also important to discuss how our body regulates sleep. Sleepiness is physiologically regulated by the following two primary processes:
1. The body’s circadian rhythm causes an increase in sleepiness twice during a 24-hour period.
2. The physiological need for sleep, which is increased by sleep loss and sleep disruption.
Explanations of sleep physiology
The need for sleep and the circadian rhythm interact to determine the level of sleepiness and alertness. The body needs these two processes to initiate sleep and to remain asleep. There are multiple factors, however, that can physically and psychologically prevent us from falling asleep.
Our muscles need to relax so that muscle tone in our head and neck and other regions of the body is at its most natural relaxed state, and our breathing patterns change (become slower) during different stages of wakefulness and sleep. Physiologically, we also need to have comfortable temperature and noise levels as well as being free from thirst, hunger, pain, or physical discomfort. In summary, if environmental and physiological conditions are not conducive to sleep, in terms of temperature, heart rate, noise, light, and physical comfort, then sleep is less likely to happen.
These questions are just examples used to illustrate the importance of sleep and how lack of sleep can affect our mental abilities, personality, mood, and safety. It is also important to discuss how our body regulates sleep. Sleepiness is physiologically regulated by the following two primary processes:
1. The body’s circadian rhythm causes an increase in sleepiness twice during a 24-hour period.
2. The physiological need for sleep, which is increased by sleep loss and sleep disruption.
Explanations of sleep physiology
The need for sleep and the circadian rhythm interact to determine the level of sleepiness and alertness. The body needs these two processes to initiate sleep and to remain asleep. There are multiple factors, however, that can physically and psychologically prevent us from falling asleep.
Our muscles need to relax so that muscle tone in our head and neck and other regions of the body is at its most natural relaxed state, and our breathing patterns change (become slower) during different stages of wakefulness and sleep. Physiologically, we also need to have comfortable temperature and noise levels as well as being free from thirst, hunger, pain, or physical discomfort. In summary, if environmental and physiological conditions are not conducive to sleep, in terms of temperature, heart rate, noise, light, and physical comfort, then sleep is less likely to happen.
The occurrence rates for sleep disturbance are high because sleep is very sensitive to stress and emotional upset. Major life events and minor life events that accumulate negatively impact our sleep. We spend increased amounts of time problem solving, analyzing, and worrying, and these behaviors often intrude on our nighttime sleep. We spend time in bed engaging in these behaviors, which are mentally stimulating behaviors and fragment or disrupt our sleep.
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