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Rem Sleep Research Paper

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Sleep is a state of unconsciousness which is fundamental to maintain the body and mind and stay healthy. Typically, it recurs every night for several hours where eyes are closed, postural muscles are relaxed and responsiveness to external stimuli is reduced (Harvard Medical School 2007). The amount of sleep a person gets is significant to their mental health and emotional well-being. For an adult, the average amount of sleep recommended is 7-8 hours but this varies with each individual, gender and age as everyone has different requirements for their health and body. Some may argue too much is also bad for the health as it disrupts the natural body clock. To sustain the body clock would be an ideal way to remain healthy and get the right amount …show more content…

Non-REM sleep has 4 stages as it is the longest level of sleep. Each stage has certain characteristics and patterns of brain wave activity. REM sleep is a stage associated with dreaming. Motor neurons are inhibited to avoid acting out the responses while actively dreaming. However, the eye muscles are not inhibited for unknown reasons which allow the eyes to move rapidly which explains why it is called REM sleep. Sometimes parts of the brain can be more active and random than when it is awake but it varies with the intensity of the …show more content…

The part of the brain that is hugely affected is the Thalamus which regulates sleep and sensory interpretation. People who suffer from FFI can’t get to stage one of non-REM or deep sleep (Cure FFI 2012). Due to this, they do not get the proper rest needed for their brains resulting in physical and mental deterioration. This condition is only found in less than 40 families currently and is hereditary. Sometimes, people can spontaneously develop a non-inherited version called sporadic Fatal Insomnia (sFI). There is no known cure or treatment for this, sleeping drugs is found to have no effect or worsen the

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