Sunday, August 15, 2010

Why is sleep important?

Why is sleep important? The easy answer is because our bodies and our minds need rest. Without it we would be restless, not alert and probably in a less than happy mood during the day. If you have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder like insomnia, narcolepsy or restless leg syndrome then you really know how important sleep is. But is there more to sleep than just rest?




What is interesting about sleep is that it isn’t an inactive time for your body and brain. Everything doesn’t just “shut down”. Sleep is broken down into five stages with the REM stage probably the most well known.



Some of the things going on during sleep

1. muscles and tissues are repaired and the body’s cells are being replaced

2. memory is being processed

3. our body conserves energy

4. dreams occur during the REM sleep stage



Sleep apnea and other sleep disorder patients don’t receive the full benefits of sleep. That is why it is so vitally important to cure any problems that may be hindering the amount of sleep that you receive.

If you want to read more about the basics of sleep go to http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/sleep/basics/sleep.htm for more information.

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