Night after night, we go to bed and sleep. For us, sleep is a completely normal state that is part of life and is essential – just like eating, drinking, exercise or communication. After an eventful day, we get tired in the evening, lie down and fall asleep peacefully – that’s the usual routine.
We can’t live without sleep
On average, we sleep for around 7.5 hours every night. This means that we spend over 30 % of our lives in a trance-like state – sleep.
Facts: Regularly sleeping too little or too much shortens life expectancy. Too little sleep usually means less than 6 hours, too much sleep means more than 9 hours. 7 to 8 hours of sleep is ideal for an adult.
Healthy sleep helps us to relax
Although this question has preoccupied people for centuries, it has still not been definitively answered. One thing is certain: healthy sleep is vital for us. It is essential for human development and health, for the regeneration of body and mind. It helps us to learn, remember and be creative.
Without it, we are hardly productive during the day if we don’t get enough sleep. Unlike when we are awake, the doors of perception are closed during sleep: Although the brain continues to work during sleep, hardly any information penetrates it. People who get enough sleep are more balanced, skilful, productive, receptive and better able to deal with stress.
Did you know …
… that the unofficial world record for the longest period of wakefulness is 11 days and nights – a total of 266 hours? That’s how long Briton Tony Wright stayed awake at a stretch in 2007, breaking the record set in 1964 by American Randy Gardner, who went 264 hours without sleeping.
What is the secret of sleep?
Sleep is an extremely complex process that affects our entire body – from the hormonal and immune systems to the brain. Physical signs show that, for example, brain waves, muscle tone, heart rate or eye movements change when we are asleep.
While we are in deep sleep, growth hormones are released, which presumably not only promote growth in childhood and adolescence, but also various repair and rebuilding processes throughout the body. However, science has its doubts about this actually plausible recovery hypothesis: people do not sleep more than usual after physical exertion. Cells do not divide any faster during sleep than when we are awake and protein production runs on a low flame. However, areas of the brain that were more active during the day sleep more deeply the following night.
Does sleep perhaps serve to save energy? Probably not. During sleep, the body temperature drops and the body uses less energy. But the energy savings would not deserve an eco-label, as they are hardly worth mentioning: compared to the average energy consumption during the day, people only save a few dozen kilocalories during a night of slumber, i.e. about as much energy as a tablespoon of oatmeal provides.
Another explanation attributes the key role in brain development to sleep: in the first months of life, the brain possibly only matures thanks to sleep, especially thanks to REM sleep, which is particularly common in this phase of life.
It is undisputed that human memory and the ability to learn are dependent on sleep. And our immune system probably regenerates itself. (1)
Facts: Scientifically proven: ‘Sleeping on it’ can solve problems. In one study, participants had to work on series of numbers according to two rules. Afterwards, they could choose between staying awake or sleeping for 8 hours. They were then asked to solve the task again. The result: a total of 60% of those who slept in were able to solve the problem, while only 22% of those who stayed awake succeeded.
Source
(1) Guide: billerbeck Sleep & Health Foundation ‘A good day starts at night – Better quality of life thanks to healthy sleep’
