Why sleep isn't a waste of time

The importance of sleep for health - what happens while we sleep?

Sleep plays a fundamental role in our body's repair processes and memory consolidation. It helps us build a healthy immune system, regulates the levels of ghrelin and leptin, which are responsible for feelings of hunger and satiety, reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes, as well as other chronic diseases that also occur during rest. A good night's sleep not only improves health, it also helps in the process of memorizing and retaining learning information.

Science already knows that while we sleep - and only when we sleep - the brain undergoes a cleansing. In this relationship of neurological connections, sleep provides the brain with an incredible restorative function. At a certain stage of sleep, our brain decides what stays and what goes, in an elegant solution to its most basic need: cleaning.

According to neuroscientist Jeff Lliff, who talks about the incomparable functions of the brain during a TED Talk One More Reason to Get a Good Night's Sleep - translated as Another reason to sleep well -Lliff said that the brain never rests since they discovered a previously unrecognized system that drains its waste at a rapid pace during sleep. “The purification of waste is of central importance to all organs and, for a long time, we wondered how the brain got rid of its waste,” said Lliff. Since the rest of the body is cleaned by the lymphatic system, which is not present in the brain, the team of scientists named the newly discovered process the “glymphatic system”, because it is managed by brain cells known as glia cells, which are cells in the white matter of the brain, responsible, among other things, for its proper metabolism.

“Understanding how the brain deals with waste is crucial. In all organs, the purification of waste is as basic as the question of nutrients to be delivered. In the brain, this subject is especially interesting, because in virtually all neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, protein waste accumulates and eventually suffocates and kills the brain's neuronal network,” said Lliff.

Scientists around the world are hopeful that this discovery could help decipher the many conditions that involve the brain, such as brain trauma, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Studies don't prove that sleep deprivation causes Alzheimer's, for example, but they do suggest that regular sleep “cleanses” the beta-amyloid protein or prevents its accumulation.

Why sleep isn't a waste of time

Lack of adequate sleep affects the hormones that regulate appetite. Sleep deprivation is strongly associated with obesity, in children and adults. Those who get enough sleep tend to eat fewer calories than those who don't.

Lack of adequate sleep impairs memory and concentration. A good night's sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and improve memory.

Getting more sleep improves many aspects of athletic and physical performance.

Sleeping less than necessary is associated with a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

Many studies show a strong link between sleep deprivation and the risk of diabetes.

Sleep disturbance can cause depression.

Sleep can improve immune function and aid recovery from illness.

Sleep affects the body's inflammatory responses: too little sleep is strongly linked to inflammatory diseases and can increase the risk of disease recurrence.

Researchers believe that sleep affects the ability to recognize social signals and process emotional information.

🔗 References: read the full article at Essentia Magazine, no. 8: https://www.calameo.com/read/004201423ccf919e0d327

Source: https://www.essentialnutrition.com.br/conteudos/como-regular-o-sono/