Why do we need sleep?
One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories. As we go about our day, our brains take in an incredible amount of information. Rather than being directly logged and recorded, however, these facts and experiences first need to be processed and stored; and many of these steps happen while we sleep. Overnight, bits and pieces of information are transferred from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory—a process called "consolidation." Researchers have also shown that after people sleep, they tend to retain information and perform better on memory tasks. Our bodies all require long periods of sleep in order to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesize hormones.
The graph above shows the recommended range, an appropriate range, and the hours that are not recommended based on your age. As you can see, the older you get, the less sleep you actually need. Younger people need more sleep because they are still developing and a lot of it happens in your sleep.
Source: https://sleepfoundation.org/excessivesleepiness/content/why-do-we-need-sleep
@BurningEmber. Yes thank you for sharing, that explains why my memory is so awful! At least half the days only Get 3or 4 hrs.
@jr50
Haha aw well I hope you're able to get a bit more sleep !
Hmmm... interesting. I had always assumed sleep was left over from evolution. It's dark at night and primitive man didn't hav candles, oil lamps or electric Lighting. If early humans were active at night- they woulda walked off a Cliff, stepped on a rattle snake, or walked into a tree branch & poked their eye out
@ChromeLotus
Mmm Interesting theory for sure, Lotus! Ahaha. I like it. But yeah, our brain needs sleep. If we don't sleep, our brain gets stressed, and when our brains are stressed, things become a mess.
@BurningEmber. Yep, I am a good example of a mess! The older I get the more of a mess my brain is,
@jr50
Awww
@ChromeLotus. I like that, makes sense to me!
Thanks for sharing this! I know that I've been having a lot of difficulty with sleep for a while. It's something I really need to work on.
an interesting take on this question i once heard, looking at it from an evolutionary perspective, was to reframe the question as "why do we wake?" given that rocks, plants, and simpler forms of life do not. waking up is the real "innovation" and sleep is the default state for most everything.
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
That is an interesting case! I like that!