It’s time we changed our perception of sleep. Sleep is more than just downtime between active periods. It’s a necessary part of our lives that we can’t live without. After all, how well do you function after being awake for two days straight?

Why is sleep so important?

If you think about it, sleep is awesome! It heals and nourishes our bodies while also giving us the time to practice new skills and learn new things so that we can be better prepared for the long term future. In essence, sleeping does more than just rest your body — it helps grow your mind too! (source)

What are the effects of lack of sleep?

“Not getting enough sleep is linked with many long-term health problems, including diabetes, obesity, and depression. Sleep helps heal our bodies and minds by allowing time for us to grow and repair cells and form new pathways for learning and remembering. All of this is crucial for long-term health.” — Dr. Niloo Dardashti, MD

How does sleep affect the brain and learning?

“Sleep is cool because we are trying to simulate the way we learn during the day when we’re awake. When we learn a fact or a piece of information, our brain forms new connections so that the information will stick with us over the long term — no matter how much time passes in between. We know that sleep has this amazing ability to help solidify pieces of information in our brains.” — Josh Lewis, Ph.D., Research Fellow, Stanford University

Like we said before, sleep does more than just rest your body — it also grows your mind! The science behind why we need sleep will blow your mind. Learn all about how does sleep affect your health?