According to dictionary.com, sleep means to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness; cease being awake.

According to me, sleep means putting the external body to rest and letting the internal part take over.

There is this common knowledge that sleep is only meant to be done at night, and because of this, people tend to overwork themselves thereby leading to breakdowns of the entire body system. As my definition states, when you sleep, the brain becomes more active and the internal organs function properly.

Dr. Paul Nussbaum mentioned five stages of sleep as follow:

Stages in Sleep

The first is called the light sleep where it would be very easy for you to wake when you’re being called. Here, the eye movement slows and the person experiences muscle contractions.

The second has to do with the slower movement of the brain waves thereby causing the eye movement to reduce.

The third and fourth are known as deep sleeps.

The fifth, known as the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) occurs when someone sleeps and dreams.

Most adults need about 6-9 hours of sleep while kids, according to their ages, need about 9-15 hours of sleep.

Symptoms Of Sleeplessness

* Sometimes you feel tired but unable to sleep.

* Other times, you sleep but wake too early and then find it very difficult to go back to sleep.

* Waking up too early in the morning can also cause insomnia.

* Taking sleeping pills to fall asleep causes a temporary sleep and it decreases the functionality of the internal body system when the external is at rest.

Benefits Of Sleep

1 Sleep makes one feel refreshed. Take for instance, you overwork yourself and you feel like you would break down at any moment; what do you do? Simple! Go home. Take off your clothes. Have a cold bath. Fall on your soft comfy bed. Sleep. Easy easy!

2 When you lack sleep, you tend to function 40% instead of 100%. What do you need? Sleep. It would improve the functionality of your brain and the tendency to learn something new would be high.

3 Having adequate sleep can also make you live longer, healthier and happier. Sleep affects life itself.

4 Sleep keeps one’s blood pressure at a moderate level. It reduces the risk of having a heart attack. In layman’s words, it makes you healthy.

5 For kids, sleep can enhance brain activity so you would get good grades and reduce the risk of getting Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

6 Regular shut-eye keeps you in a good mood for as long as possible; except someone gets on your nerve.

7 Finally, regular sleep lets you make better decisions.

So, these benefits of sleep can be very helpful if you decide to begin to have as much sleep as possible, letting your body work as it should. Sleeping is not a sin. Being deprived of it at the time it is needed is.

Source: http://owanbeparries.com/2016/11/01/7-amazing-benefits-sleep/

Nice one OP. This is, Educative.