Why Do We Need Sleep?

Everyone needs sleep. There are people who need at least 8 hours of sleep each night, while others have enough with 4 or 5. Whatever the case, the truth is that  it is impossible to live without sleep. It is one of the basic needs we humans need. Sleep deprivation can have the opposite effect on our body and can even lead to death.

Some days of lack of sleep can be serious for the body. Even there to  just sleep a few hours each night may have a negative effect on us. It can affect us emotionally, physically and mentally. On top of that, every hour of sleep we lose can never be regained. Even taking a nap will not take away the effect of sleep deprivation. And it can actually make things worse.

It is clear that we really need sleep, but why is it so important? What happens to our brain when we sleep? What would happen if we stopped sleeping? Science has tried to answer all these questions by trying to mimic the states of natural sleep in different laboratories. Although there is a lot to discover, the following are a number of discoveries in this area.

What happens to the brain when we sleep?

Prior to these studies, we used to believe that while we were sleeping, our brains were  disconnected. Experts used to believe that our neuronic activity virtually stopped. But it has been shown that this is not the case, and that  some parts of our brain are very active during the night. 

As we go through different phases of sleep, our brain activity changes. The REM phase is where most activity is detected. This activity is documented by observing our brain waves – the observed patterns are similar to the oscillations we can detect when we analyze the brain activity of a person who is awake. Similarly, in the slow sleep phase,  the activation of groups of neurons has been detected every 4 seconds. This shows that the brain is also active in this phase.

The effect of sleep deprivation

There are few people who have never suffered from  insomnia  either often or only occasionally. But when we do not sleep well at night, we suffer the next day. We suffer from several physical and mental symptoms that make the day difficult to survive. The main symptoms of sleep deprivation are:

• Irritation
• Exhaustion
• Difficulty concentrating
• Bad mood
• Headaches
• Memory loss

These are some of the side effects of sleep deprivation. But how long can we really last without sleep? When does lack of sleep really become dangerous? The world record belongs to  Randy Gardner,  who voluntarily participated in an experiment where all he had to do was stay awake. He was awake for a total of 264 hours (11 days).

After a few hours, he began to become melancholy and have difficulty concentrating. After 4 days in the experiment, he began to experience hallucinations and began to believe that he was a famous football player. He had no long-term effects after the experiment was over. According to the data as observed from the experiment with rats and humans with  fatal familial insomnia ,  the longest a human can go without sleep is between 3 to 4 weeks. 

Fatal familial insomnia

Fatal family insomnia is a potentially dangerous autosomal dominant genetic disease. In this hereditary disorder and due to a mutation in  chromosome 20, the brain produces and stores a certain amount of  prion (infectious agents that are completely made up of a protein material )  in excess. This unusual collection produces a cerebral breakdown that particularly affects the  thalamus. 

The brain breakdown caused by this disease produces many serious symptoms. These include  permanent insomnia, memory loss, difficulty moving,  myoclonus,  and weight loss. This difficulty sleeping can last from days to weeks. The patient is awake for long periods before they end up in a coma.

The breakdown of the thalamus causes the person to be constantly awake and alert. The type of treatment usually given to patients suffering from insomnia is useless. Although a rare disease, cases have been detected in 13 families in the Spanish regions of Navarre and the Basque Country. There is currently no treatment for this condition. 

The importance of sleeping well

Experts recommend between 7 to 8 hours of sleep each day. However, this can vary depending on age or health. Young children, for example, need several hours of sleep since it is a critical time for their  cognitive development  and for their learning processes. Pregnant women also need to increase the number of hours they sleep.

Sleep is incredibly important, but it must also be refreshing. It is essential that the dream phase (phase 4) and the REM phase are satisfactory. Through phase 4, the metabolism and blood supply are reduced by 75%, compared to that in the awake state. Scientists now know that the reason for this is the  elimination of free radicals  that can damage the brain.

Slow sleep  is attributed to functions such as energy conservation, as well as physical and neurological repair and also protection. On the other hand, REM sleep helps in the preservation of  memory.

As you can see, we have mentioned several vital body functions, and it is obvious that sleeping well not only makes us feel better – it renews our bodies and our biological clock.