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Nature therapy, sometimes referred to as ecotherapy, forest therapy, forest bathing, grounding, earthing, Shinrin-Yoku or Sami Lok, is a practice that describes a broad group of techniques or treatments using nature to improve mental or physical health. Spending time in nature has various physiological benefits such as relaxation and stress ...
Sleep duration has been declining since the early 90s according to research. [13] Evidence also suggests that teen females, ethnic minorities, and those of low socioeconomic status experience the lowest durations. Puberty is thought to contribute to poor sleep during adolescence as teens undergo physical and social maturation. [14]
Randy Gardner (born c. 1946) is an American man from San Diego, California, who once held the record for the longest amount of time a human has gone without sleep.In December 1963/January 1964, 17-year-old Gardner stayed awake for 11 days and 24 minutes (264.4 hours), breaking the previous record of 260 hours held by Tom Rounds.
The sleep environment may be improved by installing heavy drapes to shut out all sunlight, and keeping computers, televisions, and work materials out of the sleeping area. A 2010 review of published scientific research suggested that exercise generally improves sleep for most people, and helps sleep disorders such as insomnia.
Current genome-wide association studies suggest that sleep behaviors such as sleep length are highly polygenic, with most heritability explained by variants with small effects. The largest non-pathogenic genetic effect on sleep duration found to date is a change of 2.44 [ 32 ] or 3.24 [ 33 ] minutes associated with variation in the PAX8 gene.
Sleep is regulated by two parallel mechanisms, homeostatic regulation and circadian regulation, controlled by the hypothalamus and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), respectively. Although the exact nature of sleep drive is unknown, homeostatic pressure builds up during wakefulness and this continues until the person goes to sleep.
Polyphasic sleep is the practice of sleeping during multiple periods over the course of 24 hours, in contrast to monophasic sleep, which is one period of sleep within 24 hours. Biphasic (or diphasic , bifurcated , or bimodal ) sleep refers to two periods, while polyphasic usually means more than two. [ 1 ]
A young house sparrow (Passer domesticus) exhibits unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep (USWS) is sleep where one half of the brain rests while the other half remains alert. This is in contrast to normal sleep where both eyes are shut and both halves of the brain show unconsciousness.