If you’re like many of us, you’ve pulled a few late nights within your lifetime. You can point the blame towards Netflix. Or maybe it was the looming work deadline that was causing your substantial lack of shut-eye. If this is the case, you’re in good (and tired) company. A study has shown an incredible 52% of Americans lose sleep due to work-related stress (per Forbes). Or let’s be real. No matter what the reason for your late nights, just know that your heavy eyelids and desperate need for coffee when the alarm goes off are just a few of the noticeable outward effects. Inward, your brain is really the one that has taken the hit.
It’s time to focus on getting more sleep! A solid slumber can help clear the thickest of patches of your foggy brain by clearing out the toxins that naturally build up through a day of too much coffee, an argument with your co-worker, and sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic (per Brain Check). And according to neuroscientists, sleep to your brain is like your all-time favorite comfort food is to your happiness. A sound slumber is restorative, increases your resistance to stress, and gives you a better attention span (via Forbes). All the things needed to help you be at your best and most alert self.
If you’re struggling to understand how crucial sleep is to your brain health, perhaps an expert can help.
"Sleep is everything" when it comes to the brain
“When it comes to the brain, sleep is everything,” brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor said to Thrive Global. Taylor further explained, “Every ability you have, you have brain cells that are communicating. When you’re walking, you have brain cells communicating with the muscles to move. The cells in your brain are constantly working. They eat and they create waste, so sleep is the optimal time for the waste to be cleared out between the cells so they can actually function.”
Now that we understand how “sleep is everything” for our brains, it should be noted that a solid snooze becomes even more of an important event for our brain health as we age. And not just for our brains. Too little sleep can also negatively affect our hormones and immune system (via Harvard Health).
If you’re not great at getting enough sleep, or a quality night’s rest, then it might be time to give this issue a little more attention. Try avoiding caffeine or nicotine in the hours leading up to bed. Or find a soothing practice in the evening, like taking a long bath or listening to one of your favorite books on audio (per Harvard Health). Any effort you make for a longer, more sound slumber is a benefit for your brain health. It’s just a huge bonus the side effects of getting enough shut-eye are a happier and more alert self.
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