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"Understanding the Brain", The Birth of a Learning Science, 2007, page 74
“How Much is Enough?”
Any discussion of deprived or reduced sleep raises the question “how much is enough?”. Because individual differences in sleep requirements are large, it is impossible to give simple guidelines that would suit every person.
There is also evidence that having a nap after learning a task appears to improve performance so that the common expression “let’s sleep on it” is not an example of a proverbial "neuromyth". Robert Stickgold (2003) performed studies on a group of students at Harvard University, showing that performance on a complex task requiring a great deal of attention and concentration could be restored to the levels observed early in the experiment by subjects taking a nap of between 30-60 minutes.
As sleep deprivation appears to be prevalent among children, more studies to screen for sleep disturbances and more experimental studies would help to ascertain their association with psychological symptoms and diminished cognitive performance.
There is also evidence that having a nap after learning a task appears to improve performance so that the common expression “let’s sleep on it” is not an example of a proverbial "neuromyth". Robert Stickgold (2003) performed studies on a group of students at Harvard University, showing that performance on a complex task requiring a great deal of attention and concentration could be restored to the levels observed early in the experiment by subjects taking a nap of between 30-60 minutes.
As sleep deprivation appears to be prevalent among children, more studies to screen for sleep disturbances and more experimental studies would help to ascertain their association with psychological symptoms and diminished cognitive performance.
"Understanding the Brain", The Birth of a Learning Science, 2007, page 74
Comnent (Aditional Information)
Sleep and your Age
When we are born we need up approximately to 18 hours of sleep each day. Much of this spent in REM sleep, which is thought contribute to brain development. As REM is often followed by a period of lighter sleep or waking, you can see why babies sleep for a short period then wake.
The amount of sleep needed decreases as a child grows up. Three to five –year-olds need around 11-13 hours of sleep during the night as most have given up napping during the day by then. By age of five or so, only a little over two hour are spent in REM sleep. Pre-teens may need between nine and eleven hours of sleep, while teenagers need to ten hours on average.
As we age, the need for sleep alters, and around half older people complain of regular sleep problems. Older people may not need less sleep but may find themselves spending less of the night in deep sleep. Hormone levels change often leaving older people struggling to get to sleep; waking early and then needing to nap during the day.
Poor health or less active lifestyle can also reduce the ability to sleep for solid seven or eight hours.
Women are more likely experience insomnia than men. Insomnia affects between 15% and 30% of men, and 25% to 40% of women.
Sleep and your Age
When we are born we need up approximately to 18 hours of sleep each day. Much of this spent in REM sleep, which is thought contribute to brain development. As REM is often followed by a period of lighter sleep or waking, you can see why babies sleep for a short period then wake.
The amount of sleep needed decreases as a child grows up. Three to five –year-olds need around 11-13 hours of sleep during the night as most have given up napping during the day by then. By age of five or so, only a little over two hour are spent in REM sleep. Pre-teens may need between nine and eleven hours of sleep, while teenagers need to ten hours on average.
As we age, the need for sleep alters, and around half older people complain of regular sleep problems. Older people may not need less sleep but may find themselves spending less of the night in deep sleep. Hormone levels change often leaving older people struggling to get to sleep; waking early and then needing to nap during the day.
Poor health or less active lifestyle can also reduce the ability to sleep for solid seven or eight hours.
Women are more likely experience insomnia than men. Insomnia affects between 15% and 30% of men, and 25% to 40% of women.
"IMSOMIA", The Essential Guide, Antonia Chitty & Victoria Dawson, 2009, page 8
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