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Your brain and body functions stay active throughout sleep, and each stage of sleep is linked to specific types of brain waves (distinctive patterns of electrical activity in the brain).
Sleep is divided into two basic types:
- rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and
- non-REM sleep (with three different stages).
According to the National Institutes of Health booklet, entitled " Your Guide to Healthy Sleep," when healthy adults are given unlimited opportunity to sleep, they sleep on average between 8 and 8.5 hours a night. But sleep needs vary from person to person. Some people appear to need only about 7 hours to avoid problem sleepiness, whereas others need 9 or more hours of sleep. Sleep needs also change throughout the life cycle. Newborns sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day, and children in preschool sleep between 11 and 12 hours a day. School-aged children and adolescents need at least 10 hours of sleep each night.
The timing of sleep are as important as quantity. People whose sleep is frequently interrupted or cut short may not get enough of both non-REM sleep and REM sleep. Both types of sleep appear to be crucial for learning and memory�and perhaps for the restorative benefits of healthy sleep, including the growth and repair of cells.
A number of aspects of your health and quality of life are linked to sleep. Sleep affects:
- Your ability to learn and retain information
- Your creativity and problem-solving skills
- Your response time and reflexes (i.e., driving, operating heavy machinery, etc.)
- Your ability to think quickly and clearly
- Your mood and coping skills
- Your body's ability to rest, recover, and heal itself
Without enough sleep, you may experience a decrease in your ability to focus and concentrate or respond quickly. A lack of sleep may cause:
- mood problems, such as depression and anxiety
- obesity or weight problems (A lack of sleep also puts your body under stress and may trigger the release of more adrenaline, cortisol, and other stress hormones during the day that could affect your weight.)
- diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- high blood pressure
- infections
- high-risk pregnancy and much more
It's important that sleep disorders like sleep apnea are diagnosed and treated. If left untreated, sleep apnea can result in a growing number of health problems, including high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, depression, heart failure, irregular heart beats, and heart attacks. Untreated sleep apnea and other sleep disorders can impact the way you feel and function during your daily life.
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