Sleep, Your Mental Janitor

It’s 7:00 pm and you’re finishing up dinner with your family. You look at your clock and think, “I’ll be in bed by 9:30!” But then you think through all of the things you want to get done before you hit the sack – do the laundry, pack a lunch for tomorrow, fold a basket or three of laundry, read a little of a book, oh and maybe even floss your teeth. Not bad, you have two and a half hours!

But somehow you don’t hustle through those things or start a new series on Netflix, then you glance at your phone and BOOM it's now 10:15!

Maybe this only happens to me but after reading The New York Times article, “Goodnight. Sleep Clean.” its given me the extra nudge to hustle through the bedtime routine, and even leave a few dishes in the sink for tomorrow. 

The article reports on sleep in a new way! The Nedergaard lab states, "As your body sleeps, your brain is quite actively playing the part of mental janitor: It’s clearing out all of the junk that has accumulated as a result of your daily thinking."

Do you have a set bedtime? What does your schedule look like? Post any tips to comments!

-Sara

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