Sleep is important.
While the recommended amount of sleep every evening is eight hours, few of us accomplish this goal. And we can live with that … or at least choose to get by with less sleep.
But what does it cost to miss out on this rest? It's more expensive than you may think.
What is sleep?
Physiologically speaking, sleep is a phase of unconsciousness when the body transitions from focusing on its external surroundings to focusing inward on itself, both to repair and to learn from what it has encountered that day. Optimal sleep follows a 90- to 120-minute cycle through distinct phases of "depths" of sleep, with the deepest sleep occurring in the middle of the cycle. The deeper the sleep, the more you are benefiting. With the recommended seven to nine hours of daily sleep, an individual will experience four to five complete sleep cycles.
Why do we need it?
During sleep, your body is done being stimulated for the day and is completely focused on repairing you from your day and preparing you for the next day. A few of the most important things going on during sleep are:
See Wednesday's Times Sentinel for the full story.