“Sleep is a physiologic state of relative unconsciousness and inaction of the voluntary muscles, the need for which recurs periodically.”1

It seems as if sleep is a big waste of time for many. They think of all they could be doing if they would not sleep. Nevertheless, sleep is very necessary. Yet, there is a continuing debate about why we sleep and how much sleep is required.

Every creature needs to sleep. It gives our body a rest and allows it to prepare for the next day. It’s like giving our body a mini-vacation. Until the 1950’s, most people thought of sleep as a passive, dormant part of our daily life. We now know that our brains are very active during sleep. Moreover, sleep affects our daily functioning and our physical and mental health in many ways. Scientists say that sleeping time is when the brain sorts and stores information, replaces chemicals, and solves problems.

Our body is like an automobile. A car cannot keep going smoothly without a tune-up or an oil change. Sleep is our body’s daily tune-up. Sleep provides our body physical and mental rest and restores mental energy. We use up our energy stores through such activities as thinking and creating. Sleep is the time when we revitalize our system, recharge and reenergize our “power-pack.” While we are sleeping, our body does most of its repair work; muscle tissue is rebuilt and restored. Rest maximizes the regenerative and repair processes for our cells in the body. Adequate sleep keeps the wrinkles at bay. People who lack sleep grow older and look older prematurely. The growth hormone is secreted during sleep. This hormone is important for growth in children as well as throughout adulthood in rebuilding tissues.

Lack of sleep seriously affects our thinking and cognitive processes. Skipping one night’s sleep makes a person cranky and clumsy. After missing two nights of sleep, a person will have problems thinking and doing things. After five nights without sleep, a person will hallucinate (this means seeing things that aren’t actually there). Eventually, it becomes impossible for the brain to give its directions to the rest of the body. If the person tries to be creative, the brain doesn’t work well. He or she can perform calculations, but is much more likely to make errors, because the brain’s engine hasn’t been replenished.2

Yes, sleep is very essential for health and happiness and longevity. No one can live without sleep and remain healthy. Sleep is also important in keeping one looking good, hence the phrase “beauty sleep.”

One of the first requirements for sleep is not to overtax the nerves. There should be darkness and quiet. We should sleep early, because “early sleep is beauty sleep.” Early hours are most valuable for rest and body building. One hour of sleep before midnight is worth “two hours” of sleep after midnight. The more rest we can get before midnight, the better.

If you are in a fine state of health, you should sleep with the windows open in a well-ventilated place with comfortable temperature. Avoid extreme mental or physical stimulation just before bedtime. A good night’s sleep allows you to be awake and alert throughout the day. Tackling big problems or mental challenges just before you go to bed can interfere with the relaxed mood.

“Proper periods of sleep and rest and an abundance of physical exercise are essential to health of body and mind. To rob nature of her hours for rest and recuperation by allowing one man to do the work of four, or of three, or even of two, will result in irreparable loss.”3

The amount of sleep a person needs depends by far on one’s age. Babies sleep a lot - about 14 to 15 hours a day. Scientists tell us that, on average, humans require about eight hours of rest per night. That is one third of the entire life. But studies also show that individual needs vary dramatically.

While we are asleep, our brains go through different stages. There are two types of sleep. One is non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM). The other is the rapid-eye-movement (REM). In NREM, the EEG (electroencephalogram: brain waves) are slow. The muscle tone, respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure are lowered. In REM, the respiratory rate and depth are increased but the muscle tone is even less than in NREM.

Today’s generation tends to live in serious sleep debt, which is a major factor for the general bankruptcy such as in accidents, career failures, and broken marriages. These factors combined contribute to a reduced life span and an immune deficiency which makes one more vulnerable to ailments. Common illnesses connected with these health deficits are diabetes, heart disease, and even obesity. But many are unaware of the simple solution for this major problem.

Sleep debt can also be considered epidemic in most affluent countries. Voluntary or involuntary deprivation of sleep, which leads to minor illnesses as well as terminal illnesses, is known as sleep deficiency. The invention of modern gadgets such as communication units, the entertainment devices, and the artificial lights makes the night into day; it also makes the modern humans to feel that sleep is a non-essential commodity.

“How prevalent is the habit of turning day into night and night into day. Many youth sleep soundly in the morning, when they should be up with the early singing birds, and be stirring when all nature is awake.”4

“[By burning the midnight oil, some youth] not only waste precious opportunities, but cause additional expense.”5

The new millennium person needs the same quantity of sleep every year as did the human 5,000 years ago, but we get less amount of sleep year by year. The March 2006 issue of Consumer Affairs quotes what medical scientists affirm that the modern generation gets about an hour less sleep per night than what is needed. Sleep deficiency is an epidemic which is caused by people feeling the obligation to work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. USA Today calls this a 24/7 syndrome and “a cultural earthquake that is changing the way [people] live.”

Sleep deprivation is almost a way of life for most students, especially as final exams loom on the horizon. In fact, much of society suffers to some extent from sleep deprivation.

“No student should form the habit of sitting up late at night to burn the midnight oil, and then take the hours of day for sleep. If they have been accustomed to doing this at home, they should seek to correct their habits and go to rest at a seasonable hour, and rise in the morning refreshed for the day’s duties. In our schools the lights should be extinguished at half past nine.”6

People who work the night shift often suffer from sleep deprivation. Night is the logical and natural time for sleep. Those on shift work are attempting to reverse the natural flow of their circadian rhythm. They may find sleeping in the day difficult if not almost impossible, and can become severely starved for sleep. It is proved that such individuals suffer for life.

“Our God is a God of order, and He desires that His children shall will to bring themselves into order and under His discipline. Would it not be better, therefore, to break up this habit of turning night into day, and the fresh hours of the morning into night? If the youth would form habits of regularity and order, they would improve in health, in spirits, in memory, and in disposition.”7

Some ministers spend late nights in committee meetings and in dealing with problems. These ministers and church workers are prone to be victims of sleep deprivation. “It is a great mistake to keep a minister constantly at work in business lines, going from place to place, and sitting up late at night in attendance at board meetings and committee meetings.”8

Sleep deprivation is no laughing matter. It disturbs your thinking patterns; it weakens your body, making it more susceptible to disease. It reduces your reaction time. You may also fall asleep at inappropriate times. It changes the spirituality and morality.

The link between insufficient sleep and disease is nothing new. It has been known for centuries. Over 40 million Americans suffer from chronic, long-term sleep disorders each year. An additional 20 million experience occasional sleeping problems. According to Brazilian-sleep-specialist Rubens Reimão, an estimated 35 percent of the world’s population suffers from sleep related problems.

“Many have made themselves sick by overtaxing their strength. Their exhausted energies compel them to cease labor, and they are brought to a bed of suffering. Rest, freedom from care, light, pure air, pure water, and spare diet, are all that they need to make them well.”9

“Sleeping problems are common in many disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, cancer, and head injury. These sleeping problems may arise from changes in the brain regions and neurotransmitters that control sleep.”10

Some of the sleeping disorders which need serious attention are listed below.

Insomnia: Insomnia is a condition of inadequate quantity or quality of sleep. Falling asleep is difficult and is the commonest complaint, followed by such difficulty as staying asleep and early a wakening. It may be a symptom of a depressive illness or of anxiety disorder.11

Hypersomnia: This is a condition where a person regularly sleeps more than usual, to the extent that it interferes with one’s socioeconomic functions. It is a condition in which a person has trouble staying awake during the day. People who have hypersomnia can fall asleep at any time. When this abnormality increases, it must be investigated.

Narcolepsy: This is a rare syndrome of recurrent attacks of sleep, sudden loss of muscle tone, and sleep paralysis. The attacks may happen from a few to many times a day. The condition requires immediate medical attention.

Sleep Apnea/Hypopnoea: This is a condition where the person holds his or her breath for an abnormally long period, and as a result suffers a reduction in the level of oxygen in the blood. If the condition persists, some people develop a heart attack or even cardiac arrest. Often the individual feels fatigued and sleepy even as early as mid-afternoon. This is due to lack of sleep and low oxygen level in the blood, because of the breathing problem.12

Hallucinations: One of the symptoms of prolonged sleep deprivation is hallucinations. When a person is taught a new skill, his or her performance does not improve until he or she receives at least eight hours of sleep. One of the possible side effects of a continued lack of sleep is death. Usually this is the result of the fact that the immune system is weakened without sleep. The number of white blood cells within the body decreases, as does the activity of the remaining white blood cells. The body also decreases the amount of growth hormone produced. The ability of the body to metabolize sugar declines. Without sleep our brains deteriorate, and if the argument that brain behavior is true, then our behavior will also suffer accordingly.

“The brain is the citadel of the whole man, and wrong habits of eating, dressing, or sleeping, affect the brain, and prevent the attaining of that which the student desires - a good mental discipline.”13

“The frontal lobe is the seat of Morality, Spirituality and the will. It is also the source of judgment, reasoning and intellect.”14

The frontal lobe is the most fascinating section of the brain with relation to sleep deprivation. Its functions are associated with speech as well as creative thinking. Sleep-deprived test subjects have difficulty thinking of imaginative words or ideas. Instead, they tend to choose repetitious words or clich...d phrases. They also may stutter, speak in a monotone voice or at a slower pace than usual. Sleep-deprived people do not have the speed or creative abilities to cope with making quick but logical decisions, nor do they have the ability to implement them well. If the frontal lobe is affected, one’s morality and spirituality is at risk. Therefore it requires serious attention.

“Thepublic isn’t aware what normal sleep is and what good sleep practices are,” says Dr. Thomas Roth, board member of the National Sleep Foundation and director of research at the Henry Ford Hospital sleep clinic. Sleep is not a voluntary act; it is a natural process which we go through each night. We need to cultivate the habit of good sleep to have good mental health, and improve spirituality. Neither sleep deprivation nor excess sleep is good. A good sleep is good health and a good health is good happiness and prosperity of life.

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so [the Lord] giveth his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).