Sleep and Sleep Disorders Part 1 - What Is Sleep?

What is sleep?

Sleep is defined as a series of complex, natural physiological rhythms. We spend one-third of our lives sleeping.

We achieve the sleep that we do based on our need for sleep and the time of night when we get sleepy. Behaviors can influence sleep patterns. Depending on what these behaviors are, they can actually interfere with or promote sleep.

We have allowed a flurry of responsibilities and obligations to impede upon our sleep time. From a physiological perspective, it does not take much to induce sleep, yet our sleep is being thwarted by our voluntary activities and behaviors (e.g., vent size coffees that are consumed at varying times during the day and evening,

Internet surfing, socializing); these behaviors accentuate the extended wakefulness.

Teens and children have also extended the wake day to include homework, athletics, and Internet use. Taken together, record numbers of children, teens, young adults, adults, and the elderly are living each day in a sleep-deprived state.

The most likely outcome is excessive daytime sleepiness resulting in personality changes (e.g., irritability), memory and concentration difficulties, safety concerns (employment and automobile accidents), and an overall decrement in quality of life.

Unfortunately, we have become used to reducing our sleep time and/or experiencing fragmented sleep, which is not optimal. It is simply not healthy. The sleepiness felt day in and day out ac- cumulates over time, resulting in poor functioning and reduced quality-of-life ratings. For example, a person is more likely to be- come irritable and moody when sleep deprived compared to some-one who experiences restorative sleep on a daily basis.

In addition to sleepiness, the quality and quantity of sleep must also be addressed. Ratings of   poor, good,   or   excellent   or   light, fair,   or deep   are some ways to describe how quality and quantity of sleep may be classified. If your sleep is disturbed, you are more likely to rate the quality of your sleep as poor, and if you are sleeping less than your ideal number of hours of sleep, you are most likely going to rate your quantity of sleep as poor. If you do not know the number of hours your body requires for restorative sleep, there is an easy way to figure it out. Think back to the last time you took a vacation. Ignore the first few nights of sleep (it is generally catch-up sleep), what was the length of your sleep? Generally, this   question is a good heuristic to follow to determine your personal sleep need. In summary, if you experience less than good or fair sleep on a consistent basis, you most likely will experience excessive daytime sleepiness.

Go To: Sleep and Sleep Disorders Part 2 

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