SLEEP WITHOUT DRUGS: BIOLOGICAL THEORY
Now, what is the biological benefit of sleep? One suggested benefit is growth. We all have a small pea-like structure at the base of the brain called the pituitary gland. This secretes growth hormone and is responsible for growth and normal development of the body. It is now known that growth hormone is secreted in a greater amount during deep sleep. There are reports that in some victims of child abuse the children are afraid to sleep or wake up too often at night to have any deep sleep; these children do not grow much. Their dwarfism results from an insufficient secretion of growth hormone.
Once they are removed from their homes and put into a more loving environment their sleep improves and their growth becomes more rapid, as if they are catching up on lost ground. Of course, one cannot overlook other factors such as nutrition, exercise, and so on. We now know that children need much more sleep than adults. In fact, the older we are, the less sleep we need. Is this because we need less growth hormone as we become older and consequently less sleep?
*5\174\4*
