What is "sleep"?

What is "sleep"?

Gary Feldman (Medical Director, Stramski Disorders Center, Miller Children's Hospital ) gives expert video advice on: What are the benefits of sleep for children?; What is a normal sleep pattern?; How much sleep does my child need every day? and more...

Sleep is something that is really necessary for all of us. Often we think well perhaps we just laid on the bed and closed our eyes for 8 hours we would be fine. We could get up in the morning or get up whenever and be refreshed, but we're not. Our body actually needs sleep and we need sleep for a number of reasons. It's not really just to rest your body physically but it is important for your brain. When we say important for the brain, it's important for things like memory development or memory consolidation. So the kind of experiences you had in the day, when you sleep you kind of reorganize it. It is kind of like packing a suitcase. When you have been on vacation and your suitcase is a mess, and you are ready to go home you have to put all your clothes in there. You have got to pack it. So in a sense when you sleep you are kind of packing and rearranging the events of the day so it is easier to retrieve later on.