- Sleep is defined as a state of unconsciousness from which a person can be aroused, therefore, external stimuli have no effect. In this state, the brain is relatively more responsive to internal stimuli than external stimuli.
- Sleep should be distinguished from coma. Coma is an unconscious state from which a person cannot be aroused.
- Sleep is essential for the normal, healthy functioning of the human body. It is a complicated physiological phenomenon that scientists do not fully understand.
- Historically, sleep was thought to be a passive state. However, sleep is now known to be a dynamic process and our brains are active during sleep.
- Sleep affects our physical and mental health and is essential for the normal functioning of all the systems of our body, including the immune system. The effect of sleep on the immune system affects one's ability to fight disease and endure sickness.
- Brain activity during sleep and wakefulness is a result of different activating and inhibiting forces that are generated within the brain. Neurotransmitters (chemicals involved in nerve signaling) control whether one is asleep or awake by acting on nerve cells (neurons) in different parts of the brain.
- Neurons located in the brainstem cause sleep by inhibiting other parts of the brain that keep a person awake.
The past year has wreaked havoc with our sleeping patterns, you know this already but studies back it up. Yet sleep has a huge impact on our emotional and physical wellbeing, and a chronic lack of it puts you at greater risk of obesity and developing certain conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. If you are one of the many currently struggling with shuteye, help is at hand. Insomnia specialist Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomnia Clinic and a Boots sleep expert, has shared some of her top tips for getting a good night's kip.
Build your 'sleep drive'
“In order to fall asleep quickly and get good quality sleep we need to build up a strong ‘sleep drive,’” Pinkham explains. “This is basically an appetite for sleep – the longer we have been out of bed, the bigger our appetite. “ Our bodies are designed to build up a sleep drive during the day and go to sleep when the drive is highest “to take back the debt we have been building.” Going to bed early and waking later will mean you struggle to fall asleep or wake throughout the night (or both) as your sleep drive is simply not strong enough, so the best way to strengthen your sleep drive is to shorten the amount of time you spend in bed.“Most poor sleepers tend to go to bed early or lie in in an attempt to get more sleep, but this results in a weak sleep drive. Try going to bed later and setting your alarm earlier, even if it’s only 30 minutes each end of your sleep window; you’re creating a much stronger sleep drive which results in better quality sleep,” she says.