Sleep - Brain Cleansing, Memory Strengthening and more...
While it's easy to jump into other topics for health and wellness like foods and exercise, I wanted to take a different approach...Let's talk about sleep!
It's important to get sufficient sleep each night, but not necessarily only for the reasons that you think. Sleep is important for recovery from the day's activities (which hopefully included plenty of movement). Regular quality sleep helps us to think clearly, stay awake during the day, and improves our mood. However, there are some other benefits from sufficient quality sleep.
Research has shown that when you sleep your brain is flushing out toxins that build up while your awake. This cleansing process is most active while you are sleeping. In addition to cleansing toxins, slow-wave sleep (SWS) is when memory consolidation happens. SWS is the later stages of NREM (non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep when deep slow brain waves begin to emerge. If you want to dig more into the science side, I've included links - but let's keep this more practical!
One of the hormones that our body produces to help regulate our sleep-wake cycle is melatonin. You may be familiar with this hormone as you can find it as a sleep aid supplement. But you might not need to take a supplement. Let's talk about a large factor that prevents our bodies from producing melatonin - BLUE LIGHT!! Blue light has been shown to reduce melatonin production by 91% (specifically the blue light of an LED-backlit computer screen in that study, but blue-light from any source will have a similar effect).
Ways to limit blue light:
Minimize screen time after sunset
Limit blue light (typical in most LED lights) after sunset - use other sources such as candlelight, etc.
Wear glasses that block blue light (more on these in a later post)
Adjust your computer and phone to reduce blue-light from sunset to sunrise (the latest Windows and Android platforms have this feature built in - I can't speak for the other platforms, but I'm sure they have similar functions)
Use an app to reduce blue-light - I've used f.lux on my laptops and there are probably more similar apps out there as well
Use these tips to limit blue light after sunset and see if your quantity and quality of sleep improve.
Sleep is an important component of a healthy primal lifestyle - our ancestors didn't spend nighttime hours staring into screens - they were being social, interacting with one another and sleeping.
Resources:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-sleep-clears-brain
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/new-brain-cleaning-system-discovered
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep