There are now numerous brain studies which
indicate that sleep can do wonderful things for you. Apparently, sound sleep
affects positively gene expression and helps the myelination (or maturation) of
neural fibers connecting distant brain regions (which is essential for neural
and mental integration); plays a key role in neural restoration and washing
away the toxins built in the brain during a stressful day; facilitates the
consolidation of long-term memories; etc. All these findings should perhaps prompt
the obvious question:
What does chronic sleep deprivation does
to your brain? Or to the brains of kids which need to develop those neural pathways and build up background frames of reference? But perhaps we should better not think too much of this, as we
could lose even more sleep.
