Why we sleep and how to do it better

The better we sleep the better we feel. On the flip side, a lack of sleep can make us feel grouchy and run down. Our problem-solving skills decrease, reasoning becomes impaired, and attention to detail is lost. And yet, so many of us fight the idea of going to bed at a reasonable time. So the aim of this article is to first help you appreciate the value of your sleep and then show you ways to improve it. Let’s go take a look under the hood.

The brain gobbles up a whopping twenty percent of your daily energy intake! To be clear, your brain is an energy hog, even though it makes up only two percent of the body’s weight.

At night when you go to sleep, something remarkable happens. A cleanup crew gets to work and washes the brain to ensure that everything is ready for the next day. No really, it’s true.

It does this by using cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid is a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It moves through the brain along a series of channels that surround blood vessels.

This process is managed by the brain’s glial cells. Science defines this as the “glymphatic system.” It also helps to remove a toxic protein called beta-amyloid from brain tissue. Are you getting this? Sleep is kinda important. Beta-amyloid is known to accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease!