By: Julianna, Shannon
Just sitting, laughing, and talking uses up a lot of your energy. At the end of the day you are probably tired.
While you sleep, your brain sorts out all the things that happened during the day. It stores away the important events as memories.
Babies may need sleep for up to a total of 16 hours every day. Children from 6-12 years old need up to 10-12 hours of sleep. Teenagers need up to 9-10 hours of sleep, while adults need up to 7-8 hours. Now you know why some of you are so tired! You need more sleep!!
Getting a lot of sleep is very important. A lack of sleep can keep your body and mind from working properly. (Like when you are trying to concentrate at school.) This lack of sleep makes it very hard to think, concentrate, and remember things. You may be clumsy when you run, jump, write or draw.
You may have trouble doings things in school when you are tired. Or, you nay get moody. A lack of sleep can make you depressed or anxious. It also weakens your body. This means you can get sick more easily. (So, that's why I get so many colds!)
What happens when you dream?
If someone watched you in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, you would be perfectly still, except for your eye balls racing back and forth underneath your eyelids.
(The discovery of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a mentally active period during which dreaming occurs, provided a biological explanation for this phenomenon. It also inspired interest in sleep research by giving scientists a marker for changes in the brain during sleep. From this knowledge, they have begun to understand and develop treatments for major sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea.)
Sleep walking can also be a problem for children. They simply sit up in bed and mumble. However, some sleep walkers stand up, open and close drawers and walk up and down the stairs. They also unlock, lock, open and shut doors. This can be very dangerous.
Sometimes you may have trouble sleeping. You should exercise, some time during the day. Do this 3 times a week. If you still can't sleep, try reading until your eyes get tired. Even writing helps. Maybe keep a journal of what you are thinking. Instead of walking around with a heavy heart, and have this keep you up at night, write down your thoughts. I bet this will help you get a good night sleep!
