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Design and Research done by Juliet Kozlov
Publication on 4/6/24, 7:00 PST
The Importance of Sleeping
The Importance of Sleeping
Sleep is an essential part of our lives and is just as important as food and water. On average humans spend ⅓ of their lifetimes asleep, making it a substantial part of our daily routine (National Institute of Neurological Disorders, 2023). During this time our body is able to reset its system and regulate its bodily functions. Even when a person is asleep, their brain is still active. In fact the brain is one of the most active organs in the body during sleep, with trillions of neurons firing action potentials to relay newly absorbed information (DiGiulio, 2017). This is evident with the constant changes observed in electrical activity in the brain while sleeping. There are multiple biological reasons as to why humans sleep, however the fundamental reason is to maintain a healthy, functioning body.
When sleeping, our brains undergo various processes which are crucial for the well-being and maintenance of our body. Sleep provides our brain with the opportunity to repair itself, store new information, clear out waste and release essential molecules such as hormones and proteins (Nunez, 2023).
Sleep promotes memory function through allowing the conversion of short-term memories into long-term memories within the hippocampus. During sleep, neurons are able to communicate and reorganize themselves while processing newly gained information (Nunez, 2023). Memories are strengthened while sleeping, promoting alterations in their quantitative and qualitative properties (Diekelmann, 2010). Some research even leads us to believe that it “may be impossible for humans or any other animal to bring a memory to mind without altering it in some way” (Miller, 2010). Furthermore, sleep contributes to the removal or forgetting of irrelevant information in the brain which could otherwise clutter and disrupt the nervous system (Nunez, 2023).
The human body relies on sleep as a form of energy conservation, making it an important bodily function for other necessary processes. Despite the brain only contributing 2% of the total human body weight, it makes up for almost 20% of the total energy when active (Basheer, 2010). However, a study has shown that brain energy demands when sleeping are reduced by 44% in the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose and 25% in the CMR of O2 (Basheer, 2010). The theory of energy conservation suggests that in order to preserve energy for more important critical functions, the body will reduce the brain’s energy levels during times of rest as a way of restoring its energy and also prioritizing it for other bodily functions (Brinkman, 2023).
Moreover, sleep acts as a way for our brain to remove waste and reset itself for proper brain function. When the brain consumes a lot of energy, our neurons produce excess waste mainly in the form of leftover proteins. Once they are no longer needed, these proteins float around in the brain and prevent proper brain function (Andreone, 2018). This waste can be toxic to the brain if not properly removed, as the proteins can clump together in groups and disrupt various functioning properties. Cases of clumping such as with the amyloid beta protein have been traced to diseases such as Alzheimers through decrease in cognition and memory (Andreone, 2018). In order to remove this toxic waste our brain utilizes the glymphatic system, which essentially acts as waste clearance, to remove the toxins from our central nervous system (Komaroff, 2021). Typically this happens during deep sleep, making sleep a catalyst for this process (Andreone, 2018). The glymphatic system utilizes a series of tubes through which fresh fluid is sent to the brain to mix with waste-filled fluid, and then finally removed out of the brain and into the blood system (Komaroff, 2021).
Works Cited
"Are toxins flushed out of the brain during sleep?" Harvard Health Publishing, Anthony L. Komaroff, 1 July 2021. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Brain Activity During Sleep." BrainFacts.org, Melissa Galinato, 1 Apr. 2012. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep." National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 17 Mar. 2023. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Clearing Out the Junk: Healthy lifestyle choices boost brain waste disposal." SITN, Benjamin Andreone, 21 Aug. 2018. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"How Our Brains Make Memories." Smithsonian Magazine, Greg Miller, May 2010. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"The memory function of sleep." PubMed, Susanne Diekelmann, Jan Born, 4 Jan. 2010. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Sleep-Active Neurons: Conserved Motors of Sleep." National Library of Medicine, Henrik Bringmann, Apr. 2018. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Sleep and Brain Energy Levels: ATP Changes during Sleep." PubMed Central, Radhika Basheer, 30 June 2010. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"Sleep Is for Forgetting." JNeurosci, Gina R. Poe, 18 Jan. 2017. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"State-dependent metabolic partitioning and energy conservation: A theoretical framework for understanding the function of sleep." National Library of Medicine, 10 Oct. 2017. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"What Happens in Your Body and Brain While You Sleep." NBC News, Sarah DiGiulio, 9 Oct. 2017. Accessed 6 July 2023.
"What Is the Purpose of Sleep?" Healthline, Kirsten Nunez, Karen Lamoreux, 20 June 2023. Accessed 6 July 2023.
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