Dirty dishes

I’ve been interested in this topic ever since, months ago, I watched an interview on CNN with the neuroscientist Matthew Walker. Eight hours of sleep, he says, is what we need. Eight hours of sleep in complete darkness (otherwise our brains won’t release melatonin, something I didn’t know…). An important point (again, something I didn’t know!): taking naps to catch up on our sleep doesn’t count. “Unfortunately, says Matthew Walker,” “sleep is not like the bank. You cannot accumulate a debt and then hope to pay it off at a later time.” And, he added, “Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep.” Now I sort of envy my cats who sleep most of the day, as can be seen in these recent photos …zzzzz…!!! Anyway, since that interview, I’ve come across other articles on the negative effects of not getting enough sleep, which a 2019 study has tied to increases in two Alzheimer’s proteins (http://bit.ly/33q1uJ9). Yikes…! A 2013 study (https://n.pr/316zAQT) showed that our brains need a certain amount of time to get rid of harmful proteins, and that time has to occur at night. The brain, says the main researcher, is like a dishwasher. I really like that simile…It helps us visualize how things work. I mean, if you turn off your dishwasher before it has finished its full cycle, you will end up with a bunch of dirty dishes, right? Same thing if you ...
Source: Margaret's Corner - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Blogroll sleep deprivation Source Type: blogs