HEALTH
S
ometimes in the middle
of class it happens.
Perhaps it’s the boring
teacher – repeatedly
asking us to read the chapter and
then complete the worksheet. Or
it’s the heavy lunch that we just
ate. You find yourself wonder-
ing when the teacher is going
to stop talking. Next thing you
know, you’re asleep, once again
ignoring your parents’ advice
that eight hours of sleep is
essential. Sounds familiar? You
are not alone.
In order to answer why we
need sleep in the first place,
many scientists around the world
have conducted experiments, but
a definite answer to that question
is one that is still difficult to find.
However, we do know that our
bodies manage sleeping routines
in the same way that we regulate
our eating, breathing and drink-
ing habits and lacking a proper
amount of sleep has detrimental
consequences to our well-being,
Sleeping Beauty
BY ABIGAIL EFFENDI
which demonstrates how sleep
is an essential part in our health
and biology. Consequently,
although there is no definite
answer yet, there have been vari-
ous established theories on the
exact purpose of sleep that were
developed by scientists.
The energy-conservation
theory is one of the theories that
have been developed. The basis
of this theory is that it believes
that our bodies sleep in order to
conserve energy that we might
otherwise waste. Without energy,
we wouldn’t be able to live, so
this theory proposes that in order
to utilize our energy amount as
efficiently as we can, we sleep to
prevent energy wastage.
Another known theory is the
restoration theory. As this is one
of the most popular beliefs re-
garding the purpose of sleep, the
restoration theory states that we
sleep in order to restore, repair
or rejuvenate ourselves from
what we have lost in our bodies
during the time we were awake.
Furthermore, studied have
shown that most of our bodies’
significant restorative processes,
including muscle growth, tissue
repair, growth hormone release
and protein synthesis, usually
occur in our sleep, which also
corroborates the restoration
theory.
Lastly, we have the brain-
plasticity theory, which is a rela-
tively new theory on this matter.
What this theory advocates is that
we sleep because we need it to
develop the structure and organi-
zation of our brains. For instance,
infants need up to 13-14 hours of
sleep in order for their brains to
be able to develop to be healthy.
In adults, it is also evident how
a lack of sleep reduces their
ability to learn, memorize and
execute various tasks, which are
all related to the brain’s structure
and development. These are the
reasons why this brain-plasticity
theory has become another one
of the widespread beliefs about
the purpose of sleep.
Although there are multi-
ple theories and experiments
regarding the purpose of sleep,
the commonly understood idea
that all these theories prove is
that we need sleep in order to
live. Without sleep, we wouldn’t
be able to function properly or
healthily. Hence, it is conspicuous
that sleep is highly important.
WHAT
TO DO IF
YOU CANNOT
SLEEP?
|
Create a sleeping
schedule that is
consistent even on
weekends and holidays
|
Ensure that your
bedroom is quiet and
relaxing
|
Keep your bedroom
at a pleasantly cool
temperature
|
Obtain 8-10 hours of
sleep every night
|
During the night, avoid
too much exposure to
bright lights
|
Try not to use your
electronic devices in the
30 minutes before you
sleep
|
In order to fulfill any
hunger at night, opt for
a light, healthy snack
instead of a full meal
|
Have a healthy exercise
routine and diet
|
Refrain from consuming
fluids, especially alcohol
and caffeine, before
bedtime
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THE LINK JANUARY 2018
JANUARY 2018 THE LINK
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