Sleep is a condition in which the body is in an unconscious state but possible aroused by an external stimulus. Sleep is different from coma since while the body is in a coma, it cannot be awakened even by force. The brain, while in a state of sleep, is more responsive to internal stimuli rather than external stimuli. It was initially thought by many that sleep is a passive state. Later studies found out that it is a dynamic process and that our brains are active during sleep. Sleep is needed by humans and animals to maintain the normal, healthy functioning of all the systems in the body. Here are several reasons why:

Memory - Sleep allows the brain to consolidate all the skills and experience gained by a person for the day making it easier for the person to remember what transpired during the day. Several tests have been performed regarding this and it showed that people who slept after learning a task performed better in tests than those that didn't sleep.

Safety - When someone doesn't get a decent amount of sleep, it results into something called sleep debt. Sleep debt is roughly the amount of sleep that the body needs to catch up on. If a great amount of sleep debt has accumulated overtime, it may cause the person to sleep while in the middle of a task. This can be particularly dangerous if it happens while driving or doing a task that required concentration.

Health - Excessive sleep loss or sleep disorders have an effect on cardiovascular health. Common effects include hypertension, increase in stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeats. These in turn contribute to moodiness making the person easily irritated and impatient. Lack of sleep also causes an inability to concentrate on tasks resulting in less productivity.

Weight - Lack of sleep affects bodily metabolism so some people may exhibit weight gain from the irregular processing and storage of carbohydrates. Also, sleep loss may affect a person's appetite, causing an increase of food intake. Some people take a lot of sugar into their body to counter the effects of drowsiness but it is only temporary so the person will have the tendency to take more of it. Weight gain is usually the result of this activity.

Disease - Excessive sleep loss negatively affects a person's immune system including the activities of antibodies making it harder to fight diseases. It has always been a popular reminder to "get a good night's sleep and you'll feel better in the morning". Different studies showed that the reminder is indeed true. Sleeping and resting helps the body fight sickness by allowing antibodies to act better while the body is at rest.

Unfortunately, a lot of people only get a few hours of sleep daily and don't understand the importance of good sleep. It is good to know the early symptoms of sleep loss - irritability, moodiness, and inability to focus are common and are good signs to be aware of. Good sleeping furniture, like Home Elegance beds, to get the most out of the limited time we get for sleep. Sleeping anywhere aside from a bed or sofa bed may cause lack of sleep due to constant movement while sleeping. Home Elegance furniture has different types of beds in their selection: regular beds, sofa beds, futons, and bunk beds among others.