You need sleep. Your brain needs sleep. Your body needs sleep.

This is not breaking news. You have surely heard this before.

We know sleep is important. But what, in fact, makes it so important?

For centuries doctors have known that diet, exercise, and sleep are the pillars of optimal health and body functioning. Recently however, scientists are emphasizing sleep as the single most effective reset you can give your body and brain (Park, A. 2017).

The Center for Disease Control recommends seven hours as the magical number of sleeping hours an adult should achieve every night. We currently live in a productivity driven culture. Busy is good and the more you can achieve in each 24-hour span, the better. Combined with monumental technological growth, this leaves Americans sleeping an average of two hours less per night than they did a century ago (Park, A. 2017). Insomnia runs rampant.

Given this environment, it is helpful to note that sleep is not passive. On a molecular level, it is an active state your brain uses to ‘clean-up’ energy resources used to...