How is sleep beneficial for the growth of children?

Directions: A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure and a decrease in the immune system’s power. Researchers do not know exactly why people need sleep, but we do know that lack of sleep can kill. In addition to the many health benefits of sleep, there are other factors that make sleep absolutely necessary to life. Sleep is important for concentration, memory formation and the repair of damage to our body’s cells during the day. Chronic lack of sleep increases the risk for developing obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and infections. Humans deprived of sleep for long periods begin hallucinating and develop other mental problems. When people do not have enough sleep, they cannot concentrate well the next day and have problems forming memories. Important hormone production is regulated during sleep; in children, human growth hormone (HGH) is released during deep sleep. Getting enough deep sleep helps the skin repair itself. Thus sleep is absolutely necessary to life and one must sleep well for good health.(Approximately 200 words)