SLEEP – INTRODUCTION
It’s something we all do — men and women, rich and poor, the happy and the sad.
Some regard it as a pleasure, others a chore, and a few, perhaps many, do it badly.
We need it as much as we need food and drink, yet sleep is something we know little about.
When we drop off to sleep we go through four stages of gradually deepening sleep, when all the body processes slow down.
In the fourth stage the blood pressure is lowered, the breathing slow and regular, and it is difficult to rouse a person.
This is the time of dreaming.
After about 20 minutes we slip back into the non-REM cycle, gradually going down through the four stages.
REM appears to be necessary for normal physical and psychological function.
Those who are deprived of REM sleep do suffer some physical irritability and fatigue with poor work performance and a variety of psychological upsets.
How much sleep do we need? That varies.
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