Our brains need a rest. Just like our feet after a long day on them. Our brains are dealing with everything we do – everything. Feeling, moving, eating, drinking and thinking (some more than others). Nowadays, with most of us glued to our devices (box set binge watching, kittens doing amazing things on YouTube, liking your neighbour’s holiday pics on Facebook, hashtagging on Twitter, hearting on Insta) inbetween doing something more productive, they are bombarded even more. Sleeping is the opportunity for your brain to essentially have a deep clean and reboot. But don’t be fooled – although we are rested, lying down and with our eyes closed, our brains are still working through the process of sleep. In fact, what we use during sleep is only about 10% less than what we use on a typical day, so the idea that sleep exists so help us conserve energy is probably not the case. Clever brain scientists have said they have not yet discovered a brain function that does not benefit by getting consistently good sleep. Basic functions including focus, concentration and decision making are examples of these that we can often notice ourselves on a daily basis if we’ve had a broken or poor sleep, especially over a period of time (sound familiar parents?)

Sleep and its role in forming and preserving memories is becoming increasingly of interest to researchers and now we know that memories are laid down from our day’s events during particular phases of sleep. This is of particular relevance to researchers looking at Alzheimer’s and how poor sleep may increase risk or the outcome in some patients suffering from this.