biology? more like bye-ology

sleep

Sleep is the state of the body that usually takes place for several hours every night where activity slows down in almost all organs except the brain. On the outside, it looks like the person has shut down because the muscles are relaxed, eyes are closed, breathing is slow and steady.

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, "consciousness is practically suspended" during sleep. On the inside, if the brain is disregarded, it also looks like the body is slowing down due to some systems becoming more inactive. However, we sleep for many reasons, including that it benefits our body and acts a bit like the conclusion of our day.

It's not just humans who sleep, but nearly every single living creature also sleeps or at least experiences something of the sort. In fact, many other animals can have dreams too. Sleep is a mysterious topic and although scientists have researched the basics surrounding the topic, some information including the exact reason people sleep is still unknown.

When a person is awake, we are in what's called a 'catabolic state' where more energy is used than saved. This is because people usually engage in some sort of activity of the mind or body and they require energy to do so. 

When people are asleep, they’re in what's called an 'anabolic state' when the energy spent is less than the energy conserved because people do less since they spend the time lying down. This way, the only body processes taking place are usually internal.

During this state, the body focuses more on self-repair and growth. Many little things happen to our bodies when it is asleep such as the narrowing of the throat, growth hormone production and many more complex processes take place.

For some technical knowledge in a short video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNlp0UMqUtM

For a more normal-person-friendly video, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMHus-0wFSo

Sleep is put into 4 main stages: 3 that are called Non-REM [NREM] and one that is called REM. Both types of sleep serve its own purpose. Each stage is different, they take place in a certain order and repeating once finished, forming a cycle which would repeat around 5 times each night. Each stage is important, playing its role throughout the night.

The first section of sleep is called N1 [stage 1] or ‘introduction to sleep’, it is relatively short: around 5 - 15 minutes . During this light sleep stage, the person has only just drifted off to sleep and is easily awakened by external factors. Many people experience a sensation of falling which causes them to jerk or ‘jump’ awake, called a hypnic myoclonia jerk. If a person is awakened during this stage, he or she may feel like they haven’t slept at all.

The second section of sleep is called N2 [stage 2] or the ‘beginning of true sleep’. Although there will be more difficulty to wake during this stage than stage 1, the person can become alert and awake quite easily. The person’s heartbeat rate and breathing will slow down, and their body temperature will decrease slowly

The third section of sleep is called N3 [stages 3 and 4] or ‘deep sleep’. The brainwaves here are the slowest, called ‘delta’ waves. The person’s breathing and heartbeat will slow even more so, the person’s muscles will become near completely relaxed.

This is the stage where most of the body repair and maintenance takes place: muscles are strengthened and built, growth is stimulated, tissues are fixed and replaced, the immune system is strengthened, and bones are built. If a person is awakened during these two deep sleep stages, he or she will feel disoriented and groggy.

The last main section of sleep is called REM sleep [rapid-eye-movement], it takes place around 70 - 90 minutes after the person has fallen asleep. The brainwaves during this stage are similar to the ones of a person awake [alpha waves], as this is the stage where dreams occur. The amount of blood that goes to brain areas linked to processing memories and emotional experiences increases, while there’s a decrease in the blood flow to areas of the brain that control complicated processes [such as reasoning, or language].

This stage of sleep is called ‘rapid-eye-movement’ because the person’s eyes during this time will move from place to place very quickly and randomly, scientists do not know why and are still researching this topic.

why do we sleep

One such reason that many believe is the purpose of sleeping is for that day’s learning and memory processes. However because the research in this area is limited, and that the results from experiments on this soft science are mixed, not everything is certain.

There are many other theories such as the restorative theory. In the restorative theory, people and other living creatures enter the state of the sleep to rejuvenate themselves for the day ahead of them.

the lack of sleep

Sleep is essential as stated before, to all living organisms including microbes and plants. Without sleep, the creature will die, with little sleep, the creature will survive but their body will not be functioning properly.

in teens, the amount of sleep needed // recommended is 8.5-9.5 hours. in adults, it’s 7.5-9 hours. needless to say, it’s generally known the much of the population do not get this amount of sleep everyday.

A lack of sleep damages the body, and causes it to perform much less that it would if the body got enough sleep. It causes and contributes to many medical conditions, and the body functions weaken

Sleep deprivation takes a toll on the body in many different ways and in different intensities. If a person is awake for 17 hours straight, their performance would be decreased the same amount as if their blood alcohol level was at 0.05% [2 glasses of wine].

There are mounds and mounds of effects of lack of sleep. Here are a few:

nausea, dizziness, chronic migraines, feeling tiredness and exhaustion therefore a lack of motivation to do certain things

being easily irritated, moodiness, anxiety, tantrums and mood swings

having difficulty making decisions and/or making poor decisions because a sleep deprived prefrontal brain cortex cannot work properly

more frequent colds, infections etc

poor memory because the lack of sleep reduces nerve cell connections

reduced mental abilities such as creativity and problem-solving skills

If you need more incentive to get some more sleep, visit here: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/9-reasons-to-sleep-more

 One tragic example of someone who got not enough sleep a 26-year-old man who went 11 days without sleep in an attempt to watch all the matches of the June 2012 European Cup. Because he was Chinese and lived in China, the times of the matches were during the night instead of day, so the man would work during the day and watch during the night. He also drank alcohol and smoked, however, on the eleventh day of watching, he died.

All in all, if all these factors are considered: of what sleep is, what it does for us, why we do it, and what might happen to us with too little of it, we can conclude that sleep is very very important. we need it for physical health. we need it for growth. we need it for mental health.

Here are more links for information:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/max-text

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/how-sleep-deprivation-decays-the-mind-and-body/282395/

matter cannot be created nor destroyed.

so says the law of conservation of mass, an accepted rule in our modern world. however, it says that it may be rearranged and changed in form. now there’s also the generally accepted theory of the big bang where a singularity expanded at impossible speeds under impossible conditions to create our world.

scientists have used calculations and observations such as the fact that our universe is expanding, the rate it’s expanding and etc, to calculate that the big bang happened nearly fourteen billion years ago and the singularity of infinite density contained all atoms and matter in the world in that one point.

so if you think about it, you and I were made from atoms from all the way then, the atoms in our bodies are billions and billions of year old. the hydrogen in our bodies would be created in the big bang, and heavier atoms would be created a little later.

so we are all from billions of years ago

we came from the stars

another cool thing is that when we look up at stars, at constellations, at other galaxies and even at our own sun, we are looking back in time. despite how fast light travels, it still takes time to reach from one distance to another, and since things are so far apart in space, the light that hits our eyes showing us these celestial bodies came from minutes or years ago - so we are seeing how these stars or planets were in the past.

for example, the andromeda galaxy is the nearest large galaxy to us, the milky way, but it’s still 2.5 million light years away. and the farthest the naked human eye can see is about the distance to the andromeda. so when we look in the sky and see the small patch of blurry light that is the andromeda galaxy, we are looking back in time an inconceivable 2.5 million years ago.

another another cool thing (the last I promise) is that our world is growing due to the big bang right? and no one really knows what will happen at the end of time when our universe can’t do it anymore. of course there are plenty of theories.

so our universe is continually expanding faster and faster and one such theory is that when everything has expanded so much that everything breaks apart, that’s when a big bang will happen. that would mean our universe is most likely not the first to appear, maybe we’re one universe in a line of universes. and since the matter we’re made of cannot be destroyed, it would be really interesting to imagine what our atoms formed in these previous universes.

vaccinations and autism

one thing about certain people that really make me mad (although I know that sometimes their actions are good-intentioned) are when they refuse to vaccinate their children because they believe that it causes autism

first off, a lil history for all those ignorant fools out there. this controversy all started back in 1998 when fraudulent (although they didn’t know it at the time) researcher Andrew Wakefield published a small study in respected medical journal ‘The Lancet’ where he stated things like how 8 out of 12 certain children who got MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine would get autism symptoms.

of course the paper contained manipulated evidence and was retracted, now completely dismissed as a fraudlent article, and Wakefield was later stripped of his medical license. it was even shown that Wakefield had conflict of interest; a group of Legal Aid Board solicitors paid him £55,000 seeking evidence to use against vaccine manufacturers.

however, because of the extensive reach of the media, the idea spread like wildfire and the damage was done.

studies after studies, mounds of evidence and medical groups all have stated there is no link between MMR vaccinations and autism. the scientific consensus did little good to stop the ‘scare’ that wormed its way through people’s minds.

vaccination rates in UK and the area (where Wakefield was from) dropped sharped, followed by (unsurprisingly) a significant increase in deaths or severe injuries due to measles and mumps.

it’s terribly unfortunate that this had happened, a 2011 article even described it was “perhaps the most damaging medical hoax of the last 100 years.”

even more unfortunate is the fact that even today, many many people still hold this erroneous belief and do not allow their children to be vaccinated. this unnecessarily puts these children’s lives at risk due to this ‘vaccine-autism connection’ that does not exist.

here are a few sites that dispel any doubts you might have (including government sites)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism.html

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/04/14619/3777

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15259839

https://vaxplanations.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/134/ (this one contains links to 99 scientific papers)

there are also quite a few celebrity figures who spoke about the issue and perpetuated these people’s notion of some sort of link between the two, such as actress Jenny McCarthy who said she believes that a vaccination caused her son’s autism - even writing a book about it, senator John McCain, Dr. Sears and countless worried parents.

I understand that they have concerns and want the best for their child’s well-being, but they’re believing the wrong people. numerous scientific studies and evidence all show there is no link between autism and vaccines.

instead, the first onset of autism symptoms often show up around the time that these kids are scheduled for vaccines. there are many many other explanations and factors that account for autism and why your child developed it, but it’s not caused by vaccines.

vaccines are needed to help ensure the safety and immunity of children against deadly diseases. it’s for your child’s health, so they don’t fall victim to any conditions that we already have the advancements to prevent.

because we still don’t know just exactly what causes autism, some still persist in saying that it’s vaccines. the scientific community has already dispelled that myth a long time ago, in many many instances, and is still doing so today.

every year, 2.5 million unvaccinated children worldwide die of diseases that vaccines could’ve prevents, and vaccines prevent the deaths of 2 million children according to the World Health Organisation.

vaccines do not cause autism. that is all. they have saved millions of lives and will continue to save millions more.

here are some more links and papers for more information

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/searching-for-answers/vaccines-autism?page=1

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/1/e139

http://cjns.metapress.com/content/xqxx6ha3ufaeuunv/?genre=article&issn=0317-1671&volume=33&issue=4&spage=339