"When Shakespeare wrote "To sleep, perchance to dream," was he thinking wishfully? Remember when you could sleep anywhere, anytime? Your head hit the pillow and you were out until morning. Seems those days vanished somewhere between middle age and retirement, replaced by nights spent staring at the ceiling, performing word games on your smartphone, and tapping your charging Apple Watch to check on the time until it was light."
"It's when you're sleeping that your brain is doing some of its most important work-like a cleaning crew that only comes out at night, tidying up all the mental clutter, removing the waste, and getting everything ready for the next day. Your body repairs itself and your immune system recharges. Miss out on sleep, and it's like skipping routine maintenance on your car. Eventually, things start to break down."
Sleep often becomes more fragmented with age, causing difficulty falling and staying asleep despite increased need for restorative rest. During sleep the brain performs essential maintenance: removing metabolic waste, consolidating memories, and resetting emotional regulation. The body conducts physical repair and the immune system recharges during sleep. Chronic sleep loss undermines creativity, diet choices, emotion regulation, and immune function and accelerates health decline. Research indicates sufficient sleep quality and quantity provides measurable benefits across cognition, mood, and bodily health. Sleep problems are not inevitable and merit active assessment and intervention.
Read at Psychology Today
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