Sleep on the Brain

Sleep on the Brain

Sleep is part of the daily human routine. After sleeping we usually feel restored and are ready to start the new day. What if a person decided that sleeping was a waste of time? Some people believe that they can train their bodies to survive on less sleep. However, sleeping is not a trick that our ancestors developed to avoid boredom during the dark hours of the day; sleep is necessary for the brain to properly function. With reduced sleep the neurons in the brain begin to malfunction, and this malfunction leads to changes in human behavior.

Each different stage of sleep regenerates different parts of the brain. One such part of the brain is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex plays a role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. During sleep the cerebral cortex forms new memories and generates new synaptic connections. Through tests it has been shown that in a sleep-deprived individual, there is little activity in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, the part associated with the processing of language. This would lead one to think that when an individual becomes sleep-deprived, they would lose their ability to communicate. This does not happen, however, since most of us who have deprived ourselves of sleep are not speechless. After sleep deprivation, the cerebral cortex simply hands its responsibilities to a less qualified area of the brain, the parietal lobe. As a result, verbal learning declines, and verbal-based brain functions slow down. This is noticeable when a sleep-deprived individual slurs their words and makes little sense.

The stimulation of the parietal lobe due to the transfer of brain activity has other effects on the brain. Memory is based in the parietal lobe, and, interestingly enough, in a sleep deprived person short term memory improves. Though this part of the brain takes part in solving math equations, the speed and accuracy with which problems are completed is decreased. The parietal lobe is basically working overtime, and as a result, it becomes a little better at memorizing but more inefficient and ineffective with solving math problems.

Another important section of the cerebral cortex that is affected by lack of sleep is the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is associated with speech as well as novel and creative thinking. When the frontal lobe is not properly restored through sleep, an individual’s behavior is changed. The individual will act as if their brain is “somewhere else”, and will often lack creativity in their thoughts, use repetitious words or clichéd phrases, and have problems communicating their ideas.

Not only will sleep deprivation tamper with the brain’s ability to communicate and create new thoughts, but it will also have trouble receiving information from the outside world. When sleep-deprived, the part of the brain responsible for self awareness is thrown off. The neurons become taxed from lack of sleep and malfunction. This causes hallucinations and possibly temporary insanity because they lose their ability to relate to the world around them.

A lack of sleep effectively scrambles messages in the human brain. The sleep-deprived brain functions almost completely different compared to a well rested brain and as result an individual who is sleep-deprived will have trouble relating to their environment and meet their standards of proper functioning.