April 26, 2024

Arielle Nguyen 

10th Grade

Fountain Valley High School

Don’t get me wrong; I would love to be paid to sleep. It would be my dream job. But occasionally, sleep feels unnecessary, especially on days when I’m extremely busy. Sometimes you just wish for more hours in the day, and to retaliate against the ancient Egyptians who started 24-hour days, you choose to stay up. 

And for good reason, probably. Maybe you have a pile of homework waiting to be finished, or your projects must be checked on. Maybe you’ll never regret not sleeping… until you wake up. And then, that question begins to impale like a… Well, I’m not exactly sure. Did you know that lack of sleep affects your memory, too? Why do we sleep despite our hatred for rest?

During sleep, we experience two phases of sleep: non-REM sleep and rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep).

You experience the three stages of non-REM sleep as you become comfy in bed. First, your breathing and heart rate slow as you are bordering on consciousness and slumber. In stage two, your brain waves slow down, causing your body temperature to lower. You’re teetering into slumber. Finally, stage three occurs when you’re comfiest in bed. Or when you’re in your deepest sleep occurs. In this stage, your breathing and heart rate are at their lowest, along with the tenseness of your muscles. Additionally, not only is your energy replenished, but your body begins to repair injuries, which is a big plus to sleeping. 

After about 90 minutes of sleeping, you experience REM sleep, which sounds a lot creepier on paper. Your breathing becomes irregular, your eyes dart in their sockets, and your body temperature isn’t very regulated… on the plus side, this is also when you dream, so… not as bad as it seems. However, I doubt you’d want your body to experience your dreams, especially if you’re teeth are falling out. Due to this, your body’s muscles relax completely and are immobile. Thankfully. 

During this sleep, REM stimulates brain regions' response to learning, balancing moods, as well as storing memories. Therefore, lack of this type of sleep can lead to migraines and interfere with your memory and motor function performance. 

Imagine sleep as something you cultivate, like a plant. In this scenario, the plant represents your brain and water sleep. When you give the plant water, it thrives and grows. It’s like your overly dramatic plant decided to “wake up”. In the same way, when you give your brain the proper rest, nutrients, and/or fertilizer, it thrives. Furthermore, sleeping helps to strengthen and retain memories that you form throughout the day. That’s why many people tell you to “sleep on it”. 

Although being paid to sleep would be a miracle, it’s better to do it for your health, both physical and mental. Personally, sleep has always been a strange experience. Even though I dream each night, it’s not like I remember any of it. But hey, maybe I just need more sleep.