
Sleeping is, of course, an act with which everyone is familiar, given its necessity to human functioning. However, despite being a universal experience, scientists have yet to fully figure out just why humans - or other mammals - need it. After all, sleep poses many evolutionary challenges, largely because it renders humans and other mammals susceptible to predation.
Experiments that have attempted to genetically remove the need out of subjects have never succeeded. Scientists also remain unclear as to the mechanisms the body uses to put itself to sleep, as well as how each individual determines how much sleep the body requires (the usual balance is not too much and not too little).
However, though certainty eludes them, scientists do have some working theories about why humans need to sleep every day. Research suggests the brain conducts important maintenance during sleep, including forging connections between different parts of this vital organ. What’s more, the brain has also been shown to clean out waste chemicals during the time when people are sleeping.
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