The Effects of Sleep on Mental Cognition

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Abstract This paper will examine what effects sleep has on the brain. The paper is designed to help form a better understanding of why sleep is closely related to cognitive function. It will examine a total of five different scientific research studies showing the importance of sleep, and what can come as a result of poor amounts and quality of sleep. Each study that has been conducted plays a key role in understanding mental health, and the underlying causes. The Effect of Sleep on the Mind Studies have indicated that sleep plays a big role in the functioning of the brain. Cognitive function is negatively impacted as a result of not enough sleep and as a result may induce stress. Many factors must be considered when looking at why the brain functions differently when not fully rested, resulting in poor mental performance. “A substantial body of evidence indicates that an appropriate level of sleep is necessary for optimization of physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, which are key domains of healthy adjustment and are at the heart of science and the practice of psychology” (Gruber, 2013, p. 62-63). Sleep and psychology are very closely related in that psychology studies mental processes and behavior, while sleep effects the wellness and health of those mental processes and behavior. These studies will present the facts needed to properly understand the negative effect poor amounts of sleep can cause on cognition, as well as the relationship between cognitive training and sleep quality. Sleep-Deprivation “The National Sleep Foundation (2005) reported that even among the general population, 75% of adults regularly experience at least one symptom of sleep disturbance a few nights a week” (Peachey, Zelman, 2012, p.18). Because sleep disturbance can lead to such a wide array of medical

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