Sleep

Introduction

We often hear about the importance of sleep for the brain from our parents, teachers, even socal media — about how many hours we need, how we should be reducing screen time before bed, and the importance of giving our minds a chance to wind down. While this advice is great, there’s just one issue: we don’t have the time to follow it. If you’re a student like me, sleep before midnight is rare, even on a good day. For those of us not getting enough sleep, I’ve done research to explain the connection between sleep and the brain, so you don’t have to.

So trust me (or don't), I've done a lot of work on this topic, read through countless articles and studies, so that I wouldn't feel that bad about my schedule. And if you're a person who's sleep schedule is perfect, then great, I'm so happy for you...what do you want, a sticker?

The Importance of Sleep

We’re constantly reminded of the benefits of sleep. I know the benefits of sleep so well, like the back of my hand, I could even recite it in my sleep (in my sleep, you get it? I'm just funny like that).

The most important one? REM sleep and memory. REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, makes up about 25% of your sleep and plays a key role in emotional balance and memory storage. During REM, your brain transfers short-term memories from the motor cortex to the temporal lobe, turning them into long-term memories.

The different types of memory

Here's where it gets good; REM sleep is when dreaming occurs, it supports emotional regulation and procedural memory. Basically the type of memory that relates to learning new skills. Your brain is sort of as active as it is when it's awake except you can't use your body, like a safety belt in your roller coaster of dreams

But then there's deep sleep also known as non-REM. Brain activity slows down considerably, and this is when your body is in full rest mode, trying to replenish all the energy it lost through the day.

But for the most important part is the type of memory that focuses on things like facts and knowledge. So all the information that you've learned during the day, it helps to retain that

In the end

In the grand scheme of things, sleep is a non-negotiable part of keeping our brains (and sanity) intact. So the next time you're pulling an all-nighter, a teacher would say don't, but we all know you may need to.

Oh, and if you’re still reading this and managed to stay awake, you officially deserve that sticker

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