Sandy Thai

April 1, 2015
UWRT 1103
EIP First Draft

Sleep versus Mind and Body: The Battle

Home Page:
Sleep! Something that is loved and cherished by many yet neglected at the same time. It
is a crucial part of life. Sleep is a key factor in your lifetime. In fact, about one-third of your
lifetime will be spent sleeping. You can go on for weeks without eating, but if you lose ten
consecutive days without sleeping, you are most likely going to die. Lack of sleep causes many
different problems with health physically as well as mental state. Too much sleep can cause
health concerns as well. Sleep is such an important factor in life that should NOT be jeopardized!
This website is designed to help learn and understand more about sleep and why it is so
important to us. It will also go over how lack of sleep as well as too much sleep, can affect the
body and mind. It will mention how dreams play a role in our sleep and go over different tips and
tricks that can be done to get quality sleep each night.

What is Sleep? Page:

What is Sleep?
Sleep is simply an act of which we all need to do in our life in order to survive. It is when our
body and mind are reverted to relaxed state usually occurring for several hours each night where
our physical state is paralyzed and is unconscious. Our body and mind during that time is
allowed to restore and replenish from the day. Sleep is simply our body's rest cycle. During

sleep, our body is going through many different processes like growth and development, memory
storage, as well as maintaining physical health.
What happens during sleep?
During sleep, many things are occurring within the body. The body goes through many different
stages that are all critical to the sleep cycle. The two different stages that the body goes through
are called REM and Non-REM.
Non-REM: non rapid eye movement is crucial for the body to repair itself. During this stage, the
body is restoring and regrowing tissues, strengthening the immune system, and building bones
and muscles. Non-REM has three different phases that it goes through. Phase 1 is when our
body is at the lightest sleep. Our eyes are closed but it can very easily to be waken up. This phase
usually lasts for about 5 to 15 minutes. The second phase, Phase 2, is when our body is in light
sleep. That means that your heart rate and body temperature decreases and is preparing to enter
deep sleep phase. Phase 3 is called deep sleep. This is when our body is much harder to be
woken. If someone were to wake a person up from deep sleep, they might feel a little dazed and
confused for a short amount of time.
REM: rapid eye movement is the second stage that you go through during sleep. At this stage,
the eye is moving left to right at a rapid pace, thus the name rapid eye movement. This is the
stage where dreams occur. The first period of REM is usually the shortest and each stage gets
longer. Each period usually lasts around 10 minutes. The last REM period may last up to an
hour. The brain is most active during this stage and results in intensified dreams.
What sleep effects?
During sleep, many different parts of the body are being repaired and replenished.

Brain: The brain is able to pump more cerebral fluid during sleep. This liquid helps remove
wasted brain cells to allow for a more clear and concise thinking.
Lungs: You are able to have a more regulated breathing pattern when you are asleep. During the
day, there are many different factors that can cause an increase in breathing patterns.
Heart: The heart is hard at work during the day to keep oxygen pumped though the body. At
night, the heart gets a break. Heart rate during sleep is usually much slower and even. Blood
pressure is also decreased to a steady pace during sleep.
Muscles: During sleep, our muscles are hard at work repairing themselves by releasing growth
hormones. This is one reason why sleep is so important.

Lack of Sleep:
What happens when you don't get enough sleep? When you don't get enough sleep, you are
taking away vital time that your body needs to replenish itself.
Not enough sleep will slow down your thinking. You won't be able to be quick minded and
alertness. You won't be able to pay attention to things. The more you don't sleep, the harder it is
for you to focus on your work and logical thinking. You wont be able to remember as much
because you are having such a hard time focusing. Usually the information that you remembered
is not reliable in the sense that you truly were not there to understand it. Lack of sleep will also
play with your emotions and judgment. You won't be able to make sound decisions and will lack
the ability to completely control your emotions. You become more angry and irritable. Lack of
sleep will also cause your immune system to weaken. It is not giving the immune system enough
time to repair and become stronger. Those who don't get enough sleep are more at risk for
diseases and infections. The body will not be able to fix the problem as quickly as it would when

enough sleep has been given. Not getting enough sleep will also slow down your reaction time.
You will not be able to react as fast as you were when you got enough sleep. This is why it is not
recommended that you drive when you are sleepy. That and because you might fall asleep at the
wheel. When you are driving, you will not be able to have that quick reaction if something were
to happen like a sudden brake. It is reported that at least 100,000 crashes are reported to the
police each year due to the drivers fatigue. People who are most concerned with slowed reaction
time would be teenagers, older people, and people who work night shifts or recent shift changes.
Over time, all of these conditions that derived from a lack of sleep will cause you to lose a lot of
relationships and jobs. For your body, it will be hard to catch up on the so many nights lost of
sleep.
Many of the people who lack sleep are teenagers and college students. The amount of work they
do each night causes them to weigh that over their sleep. According to the research made by the
National Sleep Foundation, many college students need around 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night
in order to feel their best and be fully functioning. But because of their schedule with school,
work, and play, they are unable to get the hours needed and their health, mental, and physical
capacity really shows.

Too Much Sleep:

What happens when you get too much sleep?
Just like when how lack of sleep is a bad thing, too much of a good thing is pretty harmful as
well. Too much sleep can cause heart disease, diabetes, and is linked to many health concerns.
Researchers have found that depression and lowly economic and social status are usually the
cause of oversleeping. The medical term for oversleeping is called hypersomnia. It is a sleep

disorder recognized by the sleep association. Much like lack of sleep, too much sleep also slows
down the thinking process. They are also liked to a higher chance of getting diabetes. Obesity is
also a result from over sleeping. There is not a clear reason why this occurs. It is thought that
because of the lack of movement in the stomach, or how the food is being digested as well as
physically not being active. Oversleeping can also cause headaches. The brain releases
neurotransmitters called serotonin that causes headaches. Back pain can also be linked to lack of
sleep. The lack of movement and constant pressure to the back can cause strains and causes back
pain. It is reported that sleeping too much, meaning sleeping more than nine hours a night, has a
higher death rate than others who sleep on average seven to eight. The reason for this is uncertain
but many researchers believed that it is not just oversleeping alone but also many different
factors that play in the higher death rate.

Sleep vs Dreams:
What are dreams?
Dreams occur during REM sleep and researchers are still uncertain of why we dreams and what
they tell us. Many say that dreams are just the product of our body and mind repairing itself
through releases of neurotransmitters. It is also said that dreams is our body's way of
incorporating memory, problem solving, and dealings with emotions. Dreams are something that
researchers are all still currently exploring. Its purpose is very unknown and its meaning is
something even more complex than that.
Dreams occur every night during REM sleep. We get about ten dreams each night, though it is
not likely to remember all ten dreams let alone just one dream. It is said that dreams could be a
symbol that there could be meaning to our dreams. Stress and anxiety play a role in dreaming as

well. When someone is stressed or anxious, they seem to have more nightmares and negative
dreams.
Based on the National Sleep Foundation, there are 5 different theories on why we dream. Theory
1 is that dream helps aid in therapy. Our mind is allowing ourselves to face situations that we are
subconsciously avoiding. Theory 2 is dreams allow us to practice our fight or flight responses.
Theory 3 is dreams allow us to practice a skill. When we are stressed over an event, in our
dreams, we are able to practice for the event such as a piano recital or big presentation. Dreams
take away all distractions and help us focus on the task at hand. Theory 4 is that dreams allow for
creativity. The last theory, theory 5 is that dreams help de-clutter our brain. Throughout the day,
our brain gathers much different information and at night, dreams help sort them into what is
important and what is not.
.
Tips on Better Sleep:
Make a bedtime schedule or routine and follow it! - By following a routine, it helps
regulate the bodys natural clock. This means going to bed at the same time each day,
even on the weekends.
Avoid drinking caffeine after 2pm. Caffeine will remain in the bodys system and will
cause you to have a harder time falling asleep.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillow.
Exercise daily.
If a nap is needed, try taking a nap early in the afternoon to avoid wakefulness during the
nighttime. Power naps, 20 minute naps, are the most efficient way to take a nap.
For more tips, visit The National Sleep Foundation and the American Psychology Associations
website provided below.
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips
http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/tips.aspx]
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sleep-disorders.aspx

Work Cited
Alhola, Paula, and Pivi Polo-Kantola. Sleep Deprivation: Impact on Cognitive Performance.
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 3.5 (2007): 553567. Web

"Dreams: FAQ." Dreams: FAQ. University of California, Santa Cruz, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.

Feature, Constance MatthiessenWebMD. "Fighting Off Sleepiness: Myths and Facts." WebMD.
WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

"In Your Dreams." Dreams: Why Do We Dream. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web.
29 Mar. 2015.

"Oversleeping Side Effects: Is Too Much Sleep Harmful?" WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 07
07 Mar. 2015.

"Psychology Today." Sleep. Psychology Today., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

Sleep Disorders Problems. Sleep Disorders & Problems. Sleep Foundation. n.d. Web. 10 Mar.
2015.

"Sleep, Learning, and Memory." Sleep, Learning, and Memory. Harvard University, n.d.
Web. 28 Mar. 2015.

"Sleep." Http://www.apa.org. American Psychology Association, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.

"Sleep.org." SleepOrg. National Sleep Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.