By ANDREW RUANO
Staff writer
Sleep is one of the strangest things we do each day. The average adult will spend 36 percent of his or her life asleep. But what is sleep, exactly? Why is it so important and so restorative for our bodies and minds? How does it impact our lives when we are awake? During sleep, brain cells actually shrink by 60 percent, allowing the brain’s waste removal system called the glymphatic system, to essentially “take out the trash” more easily. So your brain is restored during sleep, and you wake up refreshed and with a clear mind in the morning. Studies have shown that when you sleep 5 hours per night instead of 8 hours per night, a lower proportion of the energy you burn comes from fat, while more comes from carbohydrates and protein. This can predispose you to fat gain and muscle loss. Additionally, insufficient sleep or abnormal sleep cycles can lead to insulin insensitivity and metabolic syndrome, increasing your risk of diabetes and heart disease. I hope you learned a little bit more about sleeping.