Sleep is an important part of the daily life cycle of most animals — including humans. But when an animal sleeps, it leaves itself defenseless in the face of danger. So, what makes sleeping so important that we all take this risk?

Share on Pinterest What effect does sleep have on individual brain cells?

Research, both old and new, acknowledges that sleep plays an important role in all aspects of our health.

Recent studies we’ve covered have found that a good night’s sleep can support vascular health.

They have also revealed that sleep can give the immune system a boost and protect against metabolic conditions such as diabetes.

Humans spend approximately one-third of their lives asleep, but why is slumber really so important?

After all, time spent asleep is when, in nature, predators have a chance to strike, unhindered, as the sleeper makes a perfect target. Why do we all naturally take such a risk?

A new study by scientists at the Bar-Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, has unearthed a key factor that may lie at the center of sleep’s indispensability: its restorative effect on individual brain cells.

The team, which Prof. Lior Appelbaum led, reports its new findings in a study paper that appears in the journal Nature Communications.