Sleep Essay Example

In humans and animals, sleep and rhythmic vivacity replace each other. However, to understand the extent, to which sleep is necessary for the functioning of the body, it is necessary to consider the fact that total sleep deprivation of people and animals carries much heavier consequences than starvation.
What is sleep? How it arises and why there is such a big need for it? Many scientists tried to answer this question. French researchers Legendre and Pieron in 1910 conducted experiments, from which they concluded: the cause of sleep - accumulation in the blood during the day of hypnotoxin or poison of sleep. Swiss physiologist W. Hess in 1931 suggested that there is a special sleep center, because in his experiments irritation of certain parts of the brain caused sleep. Too many observations contradict these theories.
In the modern science, the most widely recognized is the study on dream, developed by Pavlov and his followers. Experiments have shown that the need for sleep and its physiology are determined primarily by the higher parts of the nervous system - the cortex of the brain that holds in its conduct all the processes in the body. Nerve cells that make up the cerebral cortex of the brain compared to all other cells and organs of the body have the highest ability to respond to the slightest irritation. Entering through the senses to the brain from the external and internal environment, the stimulation excites the activity of cortical cells, and they send impulses-orders to the executive organs of our body (muscles, glands, etc.). However, the most important biological property of brain cells - high responsiveness - has a downside: cortical cells are extremely fragile and easily tired. Here, as a means of self-defense that protects these delicate cells from depletion and destruction, stands another nervous processes - inhibition, delaying their activities.
Braking, as well as the opposite of nervous processes - excitation is not static, arising in any area of the cerebral cortex, it can move to the neighboring. Moreover, if it does not resist the disturbances in other parts of the cortex, the inhibition can spread throughout its mass, and even descend to the lower regions of the brain. This is the explanation of the internal mechanism of sleep.
Sleep is a widespread inhibition that spreads throughout the cerebral cortex and in deep sleep - that descends to some lower parts of the brain. The causes of sleep are also clear. Sleep occurs in an environment conducive to winning inhibition over excitation. Sleep can be caused by long, rhythmically repetitive mild to moderate irritation - ticking clock, clickety train, quiet wind noise, monotonous speech, quiet monotonous singing, as well as in the complete absence of stimuli in the environment, such as suspension noise, turning off the light, and so on. Anything that reduces the efficiency of nerve cells in the brain - fatigue, exhaustion, suffering a severe disease - increases the need for sleep, drowsiness.
Sleep is one of the topics that is important and topical every day for every human being. People who sleep well can achieve more and feel much better, than those who cannot get enough sleep due to work, studying or some other reasons. It is possible to regulate one’s well-being and productivity with the help of sleep, which should definitely be used by people.
If judging from my own experience, sleep influences my behavior very much. I become les attentive, cannot concentrate and achieve anything important when I want to sleep. The more I want to do it, the less I can do, which requires my attention. If I have a great sleep, I can do much more. I tend to understand easily what is required of me in different directions, what I have to do. I usually achieve much more and can easily do what I cannot do when I want to sleep.
I think that sleep is important in career of any person. Mine is not an exclusion, and I think that it will be a good skill in my future – to capture the moment when I need to sleep, do it and go further, achieving more and getting maximum out of my capabilities and skills. I believe that when treating one’s sleep appropriately, it always allows achieving more, getting promotions at work and perfect grades when studying. It can be explained by the fact that both processes require much concentration, which cannot be realized in the conditions of lack of sleep.
I think that the topic of sleep is important in any society and in all the conditions, as for people around the world the consequences of the lack of sleep and its benefits are generally alike with certain variances. Being aware of such a property of the human body can bring benefits in the relations and work with other people. For instance, if we see an irritated person, with whom we cannot reach some understanding, we can make an appointment for some other date for an earlier time, when this person will supposedly feel better due to having more sleep.