As humans, we sleep a lot of our lives. It’s true. We sleep nearly one quarter to one third of our entire lives! Some people may consider this a waste of perfectly good time, but it turns out that our sleep–and the way we approach it–has long-lasting effects on our overall health. And although a sleeping person may appear inactive, some functions of the brain and body are actually more active during sleep than when we’re awake. 

We all know that sleep comes in cycles from light to deep. We tend to go in and out of all the sleep cycles. It’s widely believed that these cycles and deep sleep itself is essential for building and restoring what’s called “brain plasticity,” or our ability to process new information. We have trouble remembering things from the day when we haven’t slept well. It turns out that the brain eliminates waste from cells during sleep. If you’ve ever felt foggy or slow after a decent period of poor sleep, it’s likely your brain suffering from a lack of restoration time.

A lack of good sleep also affects the body in general. There are many clues about the functions that sleep serves and how getting more and higher quality sleep can improve our health and wellbeing. If you feel like you’re not getting enough quality sleep, we might be able to help. Learn more about the science of sleep on our Facebook page!