Sleeping Enough?

A recently publicized study in mice gives insight into one of the important functions of sleep - during sleep the brain flushes out chemicals that accumulate during the waking hours.  These included the plaque causing substances associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The benefits of adequate sleep and the detriments of not sleeping enough continue to mount.  It seems that it is natural to spend about 1/3 of our time asleep, and more than that, it is important to our health. The business of life tempts us to spend more time awake, "doing" things, and to see sleep as time lost from the list of "productive" things we could be doing.

We would do better to place more value on sleep.  Adequate, quality sleep likely leads to better health and it improves performance during the waking day as well.

I have chosen a schedule, because of some particular yoga classes that I like to do, that leads to me having a sleep deficit for a couple of days in the week.  I'm very aware of feeling more tired and having less energy and focus on those days.  In spite of the value I get from the classes, the impact on my sleep is a countervailing factor that I need to consider.

I understand that I need to make adequate sleep a priority and that if I do I will feel better overall.  I wish that I didn't have to give up any of the activities that I value, but some choices will be needed to find the right balance.