Future Brain

KEY 3 SLEEP Bring me a dream

How many of us as children wouldn't think of sleeping for a hundred years with absolute horror? As far as fairytale fates go, Sleeping Beauty didn't do too badly (no Huntsman on the loose, for example). But in the eyes of a child there can be no worse fate than a seemingly limitless period of enforced inactivity. You could say it's a real … snooze. But for a busy, working adult, with no time to spare for a day off, let alone an early night? Hand me the spindle, Maleficent. I'll see you in a month or two.

For best brain performance, the one thing never up for negotiation is how much sleep we need.

Full. Stop.

Here's the thing. We spend roughly one-third of our life asleep, yet our understanding of why we sleep, and its relevance to our mood, cognition and wellbeing, is still very young. In a world that often views sleep as a bit of a nuisance, something that stands in the way of our doing other things, knowing why we need sleep is critically important to our high-performance thinking.

Brainy facts on naptime and working

• Sleep provides us with greater physical and mental wellbeing.
• It allows for neuronal repair and maintenance.
• It brings mood regulation.
• It aids a greater understanding of what we are learning.
• It helps us to consolidate long-term memory.
• It allows us to forget the irrelevant, because we don't need to remember everything forever; ...