By further highlighting events that occur during sleep, those that do not happen will simultaneously be highlighted on as well.
             Humans show a marked surge in growth hormone (hGH) production during the early part of sleep, making it the greatest natural release of this hormone over twenty-four hours (p.121 Horne). Release of the substance partly depends on body temperatures during sleep. Sleep brings a temperature drop and a hormone surge (US News___). If one remains awake during this critical time then this surge is absent (Horne_____).
             As its name indicates, hGH has been regarded, long before any association with sleep as promoting aspects of human growth especially in the child. This hormone is probably linked to the rather unusual fasting state which develops in human sleep, and may be a mechanism to protect tissue protein against potentially harmful effects of this fast, by promoting the body's mobilization of its fat reserves (Horne_____).
             As stated earlier, human growth hormone appears to have a role in encouraging the body to use its fat stores during sleep. Glucose levels are already low during sleep, and the amino acid pool is not plentiful. Therefore hGH could be sparing the use of protein as an energy source and using fat instead, hence not wasting the present, and valuable amino acids. As a result, sleep deprived individuals, who do not experience this surge in human growth hormone, cannot as easily obtain their essential energy from fats. Of course they would not need to if they engage in ingestive behavior, for then their amino acid pool would be replenished and their blood glucose levels would go up. Sleep deprivation for them would not mean a fasting state, as is sleep in general. However, even this idea of hGH promoting fat oxidation has its problems. A meal eaten just before sleep does not have any effect on the rise in hGH levels, nor does an artificial injection of glucose. (Parker et. Al. 1...