When I was in school, school started at 8:30. Now, many schools start much earlier, at 7:00 for example. This subjects school children to sleep deprivation, which interferes with learning and memory and causes all sorts of health problems: a crazy policy.

Sleep deprivation in both animals and humans can have profoundly negative effects on learning and memory. Getting enough sleep is absolutely essential for optimal cognitive function and for the overall health of the brain and mind, as well as of the body.

We all know from personal experience how refreshing and regenerating sleep can be. Nothing clears and enhances the mind like a nap or a good night’s sleep. Perhaps part of the reason why this is so is that wastes are cleared from the brain while we sleep.

The quality of our sleep is vital to the health of the brain and of the body. Sleep deprivation interferes with learning and memory and with the functioning of the immune system. Lack of sleep raises all-cause mortality and the risk for multiple diseases.

For most people, especially teenagers, five or six hours of sleep each night is not enough for optimal health. We need more than that on average. The quality of our life depends in large measure on the quality and on the quantity of the sleep that we get.