Some people need eight hours. Others can exist on four. But the
bottom line is that everybody needs sleep - it is as essential as
breathing and eating. Yet, despite decades of study, scientists still do
not know why we do it.
However, there are some intriguing clues
and theories. One obvious clue is that we all feel better after a good
night’s sleep, and much worse if deprived of a decent night’s rest. In
humans the need for sleep gets so strong after a few days that nothing
will keep you awake – with reports of people falling asleep standing up,
even whilst being kicked or having intolerably loud music played at
them. Within days of having no sleep, people report confusion,
forgetfulness and hallucinations. (In case you are wondering, the world
record for going without sleep is eleven days.)
But
saying that we sleep because we are tired is rather like saying we eat
because we are hungry – it is why we sleep, but not necessarily why we
need it.
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