Restorative Theory and More Ideas About Why We Sleep
Adaptive Theory
Restorative Theory
Brain Plasticity
Energy Conservation
Clearing waste toxins from the brain:
Repairing tissues throughout the body:
Organizing and storing memories:
Rest for the brain:
Clearing out and replenishing brain chemicals:
while humans evolved, hiding out overnight increased the ability to survive
For our ancestors, nighttime was dangerous -> to escape from predators
they couldn't finding food themselves -> bodies slowed down to conserve energy
most experts reject this idea because sleeping leaves animals vulnerable and defenseless
sleeping limits productivity
sleep allow human spend time functioning at a lower metabolism
a strike against this theory: the brain is extremely active during REM sleep
It was harder to gather food at night -> stay hidden then
brain's need to replenish its reserve of glycogen
neuroplasticity
sleep is necessary for the brain to make structural changes
explains why babies and young children require a lot of sleep
sleep is the price we pay for brain plasticity
brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experience
change both functional aspects and structural aspects