Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better

Sleep is the regular state of natural rest observed in all mammals, birds and fish. Sleep is not actually "unconsciousness," but rather, it is a natural state of rest characterized by a reduction in voluntary body movement and decreased awareness of the surroundings. Therefore, since consciousness is literally the awareness of the surroundings, being asleep is just an altered state of consciousness, as opposed to being unconscious. It is heavily influenced by circadian rhythms, and by hormonal and environmental factors as well. Sleep ...

Including:

• Sleep - Sleep physiology
• Sleep - Methodology
• Sleep - Sleep regulation
• Sleep - Stages of sleep
• Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep
• Sleep - Dreaming
• Sleep - Sleep deprivation
• Sleep - Sleep disorders
• Sleep - Animal sleep
• Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better
• Sleep - Drugs and sleep
• Sleep - Sleep aiding
• Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia - Sleep

Sleep - Methodology. Before advances in the fields of neurology, neuroscience, electronics and genetics were made, scientists studied the behavioral characteristics of sleep, such as its pattern, depth, and varying frequency. In more recent times, the electrical impulses generated by the brain are recorded using a device called an electroencephalograph (EEG), and individual genes relating to sleep-related brain function, such as the circadian rhythm, have been isolated. Molecular biology, medical science and epidemiology all play an ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Sleep physiology

Sleep - Methodology. Before advances in the fields of neurology, neuroscience, electronics and genetics were made, scientists studied the behavioral characteristics of sleep, such as its pattern, depth and varying frequency. In more recent times, the electrical impulses generated by the brain are recorded using a device called an electroencephalograph (EEG), and individual genes relating to sleep-related brain function, such as the circadian rhythm, are isolated. Molecular biology, medical science and epidemiology all play an ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Sleep physiology

A common misperception is that everyone needs eight hours of sleep. The amount of sleep needed is different for each person. This amount needed is individually and biologically determined. Some can do with six hours of sleep, others need nine. However, as a general rule, eight hours is recommended. Sleep experts state that you cannot "store" sleep by sleeping more on the weekends in preparation for the normal work week. [1] Another commonly held view is that the amount of sleep one requires decreases as one ages, but this is not necessarily the case ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Sleep deprivation

A common misperception is that everyone needs eight hours of sleep. The amount of sleep needed is different for each person. This amount needed is individually and biologically determined. Some can do with six hours of sleep, others need nine. However, as a general rule, eight hours is recommended. Sleep experts state that you cannot "store" sleep by sleeping more on the weekends in preparation for the normal work week. [1] The amount of sleep one requires decreases as they age. This is not necessarily the case. The ability to sleep, rather than the need for sleep, app ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Sleep deprivation

Disorders of sleep are broadly classified into three groups. Dyssomnias are characterized by difficulty getting to sleep, as in primary insomnia, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome. Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that is being diagnosed with increased frequency, may be classified either as a dyssomnia or as an example of a parasomnia. The latter conditions involve bothersome awakenings during sleep, and also include bruxism and sleepwalking. The third group includes sleep disorders resulting from a number of psychiatric problems, such as bipola ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Sleep disorders

Restorative theories of sleep describe sleep as a dynamic time of healing and growth for organisms. For example, during stages 3 and 4, or slow wave sleep, growth hormone levels increase, and changes in immune function occur. The myriad illnesses associated with sleep deprivation testify to its restorative function. According to the ontogenetic hypothesis of REM sleep, the activity occurring during neonatal REM sleep (or Active Sleep) seems to be particularly important to the developing organism (Marks et al., 1995). Studies investiga ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep

Sleep - Sleep aiding. The pharmacological approach to inducing sleep involves the use of depressant drugs [4], formerly barbiturates, but today usually benzodiazepines, which depress the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). Non-prescription antihistamines, which are commonly marketed as sleep aids, are also available. Today, sleeping pills are generally prescribed only on a temporary basis and only if symptoms of insomnia are severe enough to seriously impede a patients life. It is possible habitua ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Drugs and sleep

The demonstrably necessary phenomenon of dreaming would suffice to prove the importance of sleep to humans, and perhaps to other animals as well. Dreaming involves an involuntary conjuring up of sometimes magical images in a story-like sequence in which the sleeper/dreamer is usually more a participant than an observer. Most scientists agree that dreaming is stimulated by the pons and occurs during the REM phase of sleep. Many functions have been hypothesized for dreaming. Freud postulated that dreams are the symbolic expression of fr ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Dreaming

Restorative theories of sleep describe sleep as a dynamic time of healing and growth for organisms. For example, during stages 3 and 4, or slow wave sleep, growth hormone levels increase, and changes in immune function occur. The myriad illnesses associated with sleep deprivation testify to its restorative function. According to the Ontogenetic Hypothesis of REM sleep, the activity occurring during neonatal REM sleep (or Active Sleep) seems to be particularly important to the developing organism (Marks et al., 1995). Studies investiga ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep

Animals vary widely in their amounts of sleep, from 2 hours a day for giraffes to 20 hours for bats. Generally, required sleeping time decreases as body size increases. Cats are one of the few animals that do not have most of their sleep consolidated into one session, preferring instead to spread their sleep fairly evenly throughout the day. Water mammals "sleep" with alternate hemispheres of their brains asleep and the other awake. They need to do this so they can breathe above water while sleeping. Migrat ...

See also:

Sleep, Sleep - Sleep physiology, Sleep - Methodology, Sleep - Sleep regulation, Sleep - Stages of sleep, Sleep - Theories regarding the function of sleep, Sleep - Dreaming, Sleep - Sleep deprivation, Sleep - Sleep disorders, Sleep - Animal sleep, Sleep - Approaches to sleeping better, Sleep - Drugs and sleep, Sleep - Sleep aiding, Sleep - Stimulant drugs

Read more here: » Sleep: Encyclopedia II - Sleep - Animal sleep