Why humans need sleep

Psychology and Sleep

Discussion Question: Why do we need sleep?

Sleep is a complex process that is essential for human beings and other higher forms of biological life (Myers, 2006). On one hand, contemporary researchers know a lot about sleep, such its different forms, characteristic physiological and neurological patterns, and the consequences of sleep deprivation; on other hand, scientists still do not know precisely why sleep is necessary or exactly what it contributes to the organism (Myers, 2006). Some of the processes known to have links to sleep include cell repair and growth rates because human growth hormone (HGH) secretion occurs during sleep (Myers, 2006). More generally, we need sleep because without it, we become incapable of functioning physically and cognitively.

Empirical evidence and volumes of anecdotal experiential information illustrate the fundamental importance of sleep for human health. Task performance and cognitive processes both suffer from sleep deprivation and prolonged sleep deprivation is associated with psychotic hallucinations and extreme distress. In some cases, sleep deprivation can be fatal. For those reasons, sleep deprivation has been used as both a form of torture and as a mechanism to overcome psychological resistance to questioning for thousands of years.

Research Article

Pauley, S. "Lighting for the Human Circadian Clock: Recent Research Indicates that

Lighting Has Become a Public Health Issue." Medical Hypotheses, Vol. 63

(2004): 588-596.

Recent research into sleep and the way sleep patterns are affected by light suggest that sleeping in complete darkness is much more beneficial than sleeping in less than complete darkness (Pauley, 2004). Similarly, regular exposure to certain types of artificial lighting can have a negative effect on the quality of sleep as well. Research into the comparative health of daytime and nighttime workers has helped establish some of the more specific ways that sleep is important to human health. For example, certain forms of cancer (such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer) have been documented at higher rates among nighttime workers (Pauley, 2004). As it happens, those forms of cancer are known to be moderated by Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland during specific phases of sleep and known to vary in relation to exposure to light (Pauley, 2004).