The Recuperation and Circadian Theories of Sleep - Essay Example

The Recuperation and Circadian Theories of Sleep Introduction Sleep is the biological process whereby a person spends almost a third of his lifetime and is one of the most essential aspects of the well-being and health of a human being. Sleep makes a person feel better and improves moods as well as weight and mind that are essential for the required human being. Sleep also plays multiple roles as it coordinates the synaptic plasticity changes in the brain and changes in how genes are expressed as shown by studies in molecular changes in waking up and sleeping. Research has shown that most people do not have enough sleep in their daily lives and therefore suffer from numerous sleep disorders or for those who lack enough sleep experience daytime sleepiness that greatly interferes with their daily activities (Dijk 35). Some of the signs that a person is suffering from sleep disorders are irritability, disinhibition, moodiness which then develop into severe symptoms that include apathy, slowed speech and emotional responses that are flattened or may have lapses in attention or hallucinations. The individual needs for sleep, vary from one individual to another and may be affected by several factors, but there is agreement that an average adult needs about 6-8 hours of sleep and about 16 hours of being awake. Put simply, having enough sleep is important as it helps in learning and memory in that it helps the brain commit new information to memory through the consolidation of information and also helps in cell metabolism and the checking of body weight. Being deprived of sleep can cause an increase in weight as it affects the body processes involved in the storing of carbohydrates as well as changing the levels of hormones that dictate appetite. Adequate sleep also helps in ensuring the safety of a person as it increases alertness when a person wakes up and has different activities during the day. Sleep also affects the mood of a person as loss of sleep may cause irritability, impatience or the inability to concentrate thus causing moodiness. It has also been found that sleep helps in ensuring that a person has the right cardiovascular health that prevents one from having hypertension, irregular heartbeats or increased stress levels (Des 511). There are different theories that can be used to explain the reason why people sleep that is the Recuperation theory and the circadian theory. The Recuperation theory is the most commonly used theory and explains how people perceive and explain sleep noting that sleep is a process of repair aimed at reversing the imbalance in the body system as caused by daily activities. The assumption here is that the activities carried out in our moments of wakefulness causes a disturbance in the body homeostasis and therefore the need to sleep to recover. On the other hand, the circadian theory posits that sleep is a way in which animals conserve energy in order to avoid spending energy on unnecessary activities. It focuses on the circadian rhythms that are simply the cycles an animal adheres to for sleeping and being awake with each cycle taking about 24 hours to complete. Therefore, it is almost certain that all animals will display a physiological, biochemical and behavioural process in line with the circadian rhythmicity that rely on environmental cues and zeitgebers in the adjustment of the cycle. A normal sleep cycle undergoes through processes that may include light sleep whereby the brainwave frequencies descend from Alpha waves into Theta waves and the body loses the muscle tones and cause twitches and hypnic jerks. Later the brainwaves show chaotic sleep spindles as the body loses its muscle tones due to sleep paralysis before the waves descend into Delta waves marking the beginning of heavy sleep. Further, the Delta waves lead one into deep sleep and before the cycle is completed, the brainwaves jump to highly active Beta waves and the person experiences bursts of rapid eye movement.  Recuperation theory of sleep As already stated, sleep may be important in helping the body restore itself to optimum functioning after a series of activities that makes it wear out (Chokroverty, Sudhansu and Arthur 38). When a person is a wake for a long period, there is the process of homeostasis between sleep and wake that shows that the body is in dire need of sleep and must do so in order to maintain a proper balance. The homeostasis process therefore creates a balance between sleep and wakefulness that ensures the body is well balanced in its functioning. As a recuperation theory, it is important to note that sleep is a physiological process whereby the body carries out activities through the cycle of rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep that helps in restoring the body. Therefore, sleeping for approximately eight hours a day helps in the synthesis of proteins and conversion into amino acids for energy and the secretion of growth hormone released during sleep. This means that the alteration between the REM and non-REM helps the body to replenish immune cells and distribute human growth hormones, which is translated into profound physical wellbeing and growth of muscles. Circadian theory of sleep As already mentioned before, circadian theory of sleep relies on circadian rhythms that last about a day and therefore the question that needs to be done or evaluated is what keeps these rhythms to a twenty-four hour cycle (Lee-Chiong 1067). The cycles occur approximately after a period of twenty-four hours, initiate, and control the human or animal biological processes such as the occurrence of sleep, being awake or the digestive activity of the person inclusive of the workings of hormones. There is now agreement that animals with time have developed internal timing mechanisms known as biological clocks that are entrenched on a 24-hour basis through cycles in the environment known as zeigebers (Hill 50). The time clock in the body is a pair of pinhead size creatures found on the hypothalamus and when light reaches the retina, it creates signals that are transmitted through the optic nerve to the circadian clock (Kalsbeek 2). Signals are then further sent to the pineal glands that responds to either light or darkness and when it is at night the body releases a sleep inducing melatonin, which stops production at daytime. The animals’ body including that of human beings is therefore intelligent and can correctly time cues such as light and a daily routine in order to be well synchronized with other functioning of the body system. Examples of powerful sleep-wake cycle tools include the influence of sunshine, the routine of sleeping and waking up, regular patterns of meal times amongst other activities. These activities could therefore be integral in assisting the compliance with the circadian clock that helps in appreciating the role of biological or physiological factors in the determination of the daily circadian cycle and ensuring sleep. The difference between the recuperation theory and the circadian theory should be noted as they have clear distinct propositions on sleep and its relevance. The recuperation theory argues that the homeostasis stage of the body usually takes a back seat when a person is awake and the reason for sleep is chiefly to restore the body energy content. The circadian theory on the other hands suggest that the body follows a cycle that makes persons to sleep when darkness falls and that humans do not psychologically require sleep but processes do force it to. The circadian rhythms may however be affected at times by some factors such as the personality of the person being evaluated or environmental factors that alter the sleeping arrangement of a person. Conclusion As research has shown, sleep is important to the human body as it helps the person restore the brain functions and achieve alertness when a person wakes up. It also enhances the recovery of muscles through the synthesis of proteins and the release of growth hormones that helps in the general well-being of the human body system and its functions. Therefore, it is recommended that every human being have at least eight hours of adequate sleep in order for the body to function optimally. It is important to note that even though the recuperation theory is the most widely recognize reason for sleep, the circadian theory gives a clearer explanation as to the importance of sleep. An example is that the recuperation theory can predict sleep deprivation and its effect of causing serious physiological dysfunction that has been proven as not the obvious case. The circadian theory is equally challenged by physiological factors such as rapid movement of the eyes and internal body systems in relation to the setting up of a complete cycle. The amount of sleep that will be required by a person is determined by age and genetics amongst other factors. Genetics will dictate the number of hours a person sleeps and the preference for waking up while the internal biological clock that regulates the sleep and wake cycles will vary from one person to the other. This means that when a person may be inclined to a faster twenty-four hour cycle they do wake up early while those with slower cycles stay awake for a long time. It is therefore very much clear that sleep is important to all human beings and that sleep deprivation may break down a person of which recovery is a long painful process that most people would not want to undergo. Works cited Chokroverty, Sudhansu, Wayne A. Hening, and Arthur S. Walters. Sleep and Movement Disorders. Philadelphia: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003. Print. Des, Jardins T. R. Cardiopulmonary Anatomy & Physiology: Essentials for Respiratory Care. Australia: Delmar/Thomson Learning, 2002. Print. Dijk, Jan . Curing Sleep Disorders and Stress Problems. New Delhi: Epitome Books, 2009. Print. Hill, Grahame. A Level Psychology Through Diagrams. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print. Kalsbeek, A. The Neurobiology of Circadian Timing. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2012. Print. Lee-Chiong, Teofilo L. Sleep: A Comprehensive Handbook. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Liss, 2006. Print. Read More