Summary: The Limbic System

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The Limbic System The brain is a very complicated organ consisting of two halves known as hemispheres. There is a left hemisphere, which controls the right side of the body, and a right hemisphere which controls the left side of the body. Another way that the brain is classified in is lobes. There are four lobes that the brain consists of, the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. Most of the action that happens in the brain that is related to sleep is in the hypothalamus, which is located in the Limbic System next to the temporal lobe. The Limbic System is the part of the brain that works with emotions and motives through a network of neural structures; it consists of the hypothalamus, the pituitary …show more content…

These hormones that are released have to do with growth of the body and brain and when there is little to no sleep, there is little to no growth (Eve Van Cauter). An example of one of these hormones is the adrenocorticotropic hormone which helps the body’s cortisol level, or stress level (Adrenocorticotropic hormone, 2013). When there is too little of the adrenocorticotropic hormone there is a high chance of poorly functioning adrenal glands or Addison’s disease which is when the body doesn’t produce enough hormones causing side effects of fatigue, loss of weight and muscle, and darkened areas on the skin (Adrenocorticotropic hormone, 2013).
Effects of Sleep Loss
When a person has a large sleep debt (the amount of rest that the brain is lacking) the brain starts to slow down, the immune system weakens, and the body can gain or lose weight along with many other health problems, mentally and physically (Sleep Deprivation).
Physical …show more content…

The majority of people who suffer from night terrors are children, but it is not unheard of in adolescents. Night terrors is when, during sleep, the person gets up and moves around, speaks in rambling, incoherent sentences, can appear scared, and have increased heart and breathing rates (Meyers, 2004). It is highly unlikely that the person will wake up during their night terror or even remember it once they have woken up the next day. Night terrors are not the same as sleep walking; sleep walking happens in the beginning of Stage 4 sleep and can be passed down through genetics, whereas night terrors happen in the beginning of REM sleep (Meyers,

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