Sleep science 101

- We live in a constantly evolving technological world. Sleep technology is part of this. Think Apple Watch or Fitbit monitoring your sleep, tech-laden mattresses and list goes on. But did it occur to you that the most sophisticated sleep technology is right inside of you. Are you using it or abusing it? Understanding how sleep actually works can inspire you to make better choices that support and prioritize your sleep. Sleep science continues to evolve even though we've been sleeping since the beginning of time. Contrary to historical beliefs, sleep is actually a very active state, during which virtually every one of your organs is at work. When it looks like you're still on the outside, you're really like a city that never sleeps on the inside. So what's actually happening? Well, one thing is memory encoding. When we first transition to sleep our bodies and brains slow down until we enter deep sleep. A time during which our memories are encoded and consolidated. I mean, just imagine if you had to encode everything you saw, heard, and thought during the day, talk about information overload. Deep sleep is a critical time for the brain to decide what's going to be stored. Also during deep sleep, our body is engaged in tissue repair work and energy restoration. Think about when you're sick. Sleep is a primary healer and supports your immune system allowing your body to restore and rejuvenate naturally. Sick or well, deep sleep is necessary to awake and refresh and regenerate it in the morning. Another reason to get good, quality sleep and enough of it is the correlation of sleep deprivation to diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and depression, which research continues to confirm. And talk about sleep research, when I first learned that the brain cleanses itself during sleep, yes, cleanses itself during sleep, I was amazed, but not really surprised. Our bodies and brains are designed for self-care. It's just that we often get in the way. In fact, the brain has a cleansing mechanism called the glymphatic system, which allows the brain to naturally keep toxic proteins from building up. Basically, if you don't get sufficient sleep, over time, your brain becomes like a dirty kitchen. Research continues to confirm the correlation of sleep deprivation to early onset dementia and Alzheimer. And it starts years before it becomes apparent. REM sleep also provides energy to the brain and body and supports our day time performance. REM stands for rapid eye movement. In fact, during REM, the only thing moving are our eyes. When I heard the scientific explanation for why I periodically awaken from a dream feeling paralyzed, I was relieved. Many of you can likely relate to this experience. Scientists believe it's the mind and body protecting the dreamer from harm by physically acting out their dream. While sleeps science provides an understanding of what happens when we sleep, it's up to us to prioritize it and just do it. You need enough sleep, both quality and quantity, to get the benefits of sleep's magic. Plain and simple, the science is clear. Sleep is essential for physical, mental, emotional, and your brain health.