Why do we sleep?
Added Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 9:19 am | View Comments
One of the most common questions we hear at bedstar is ‘why do we sleep?’ Sleep is increasingly considered an inconvenient necessity, something which takes up time we could spend doing other useful things. Many people are proud that they can get by just fine on 5 hours of sleep a night, but are they actually operating at full capacity? And why should we sleep at all?
In evolutionary terms sleep is rather hard to explain. While they are sleeping, animals are not able to eat or reproduce and are at greater risk from predators. And yet all animals seem to need varying amounts of sleep, some less than an hour and others up to 20 hours a day. It has been shown many times that animals do not survive when deprived of sleep, so it must be more important than just habit.
No one is sure exactly what role sleep plays that makes it so essential, or why humans have evolved to need their 8 solid hours a night. But there are lots of good theories and there is no shortage of evidence that sleep is at least as important for us as the rest of the animal kingdom.
Sleeping has been shown to improve memory and concentration so it could be a time when the brain does its learning and consolidation. This idea is supported by looking at how people deprived of sleep struggle to think straight. In fact, sleep deprived brains have many similarities to those of people with mental disorders.
Sleeping is not just for the brain, our bodies also use the time to recuperate. Just a week of reduced sleep time can cause reactions in the body comparable to diabetes and has been linked to obesity. Athletes value good sleep very highly and we all know that aches and pains are usually eased by curling up for a long nap.
One purpose of sleep that is rarely considered is that whilst in the land of slumber, animals are safer than when they are awake. Although the risk from predators is higher, when they are asleep the animals are unlikely to get injured and can conserve energy in a fairly low risk manner.
Although the definitive reason behind sleep is still something of a mystery, it’s undoubtedly in everyone’s best interest to get a good night’s rest. And bedstar are here to help you do that. You can browse through the best bed discounts online by taking a look at our extensive online catalogue. You’re sure to find the perfect bed at an unbelievable price.
We stock all the big bed brands, so you know that you’re buying a quality product that will last.
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