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Originally posted on May 12, 2014.
Sleep consumes time we could spend foraging and it exposes us to predators. It’s a waste and a risk. So why do humans sleep? Why didn’t nature design us for continual activity and vigilance?
In the October 18, 2013 Science, researchers offer an answer: sleep enables house cleaning. Studies of mice show that sleep sweeps the brain of toxic metabolic waste products.
Ergo, at the day’s end we can say to our loved ones: Good night. Sleep tidy.
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