Psychology, Sleep Theories Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology, Sleep Theories - Research Paper Example While asleep, most physiological functions of an individual such as blood pressure, heartbeat and rate of breathing decrease. It has been proved that in human beings, mammals, and a majority of other animals regular sleep is necessary in order to survive. Sleep is not a uniform process. Sleep happens in progressive stages, referred to as the sleep cycle (Tami Port, 2009).These stages show characteristic changes in the activity of brain. The cycle begins with light sleep, followed by deep sleep. Sleep is divided into two main stages, REM sleep and non-REM sleep. Here REM stands for "rapid eye movement". Non-REM sleep can be again divided into four stages. As sleep progresses from stage one to stage four, sleep becomes deeper. The third and fourth stages are often grouped together and are called slow wave sleep (SWS). When an individual is in SWS muscle and eye movements become less. Even though human beings spend almost one-third of their lives sleeping, one does not know exactly the functions of sleep. One of the major theories of sleep says that sleep is necessary for repair and restoration of the body as well as the mind. According to this theory sleep helps the body recover after an active day and gives the body the chance to restore substances that are lost while performing our daily duties. Another theory suggests that sleep has an adaptive function. According to this theory animals sleep because they need to protect themselves. However it is a known fact that sleep is a time to rest and rejuvenate and that it benefits us in many ways. When a person does not get the required amount of sleep he feels drowsy all the time, is not able to concentrate and is irritable .It has been proved that REM sleep is important for learning and memory. Many individuals complain of lack of or insufficient sleep. All of us at some time or the other have experienced this. However for many this problem is severe and