Sleep Is Not a Mystery

May 23

I find myself more and more often reading articles that appear to have promise—meaning, the headline sounds like it’s going to actually convey accurate, current information on the topic at hand—but just end up missing the mark. Then sometimes, like this article from Popular Mechanics, the headline itself makes me do a double-take and say… “Wait… what???”

Well, I’ve decided to start “auditing” some of these articles. Highlighting some much-needed nuance, reframing the info, and offering more current evidence. The Popular Mechanics article was so egregious, it’s my first victim.

The article suggests, “Humans spend about one-third of their lives asleep, but scientists don’t fully understand why.”

Uhhhmmm… Excuse me?

We may not have the entire cosmic picture of sleep figured out, but we absolutely do understand the critical roles (and there are A LOT of them) it plays in human health. The idea that basic biological functions—like repairing cells, balancing hormones, and powering the immune system—aren’t “good enough” reasons to prioritize sleep? That’s the real rub for me in this article.

The Basics Are the Big Deal

Sleep is not some evolutionary leftover or passive shutdown mode. It’s an active process during which the body performs many essential tasks that are literally required for not just optimal health but, quite frankly, survival. Tasks like (but certainly not limited to):

🛠 Cellular Repair
During deep sleep, the body works hard to repair muscle, tissue, and organs. Think of it as a nightly maintenance crew—cleaning up the damage of the day so you can wake up restored.¹

🧬 Hormonal Regulation
Sleep is when the body fine-tunes critical hormones like insulin (blood sugar balance), leptin and ghrelin (appetite), and cortisol (stress response). Skimping on sleep is a fast track to blood sugar imbalances, cravings, irritability, and even weight gain.²

🛡 Immune Support
Lack of sleep has been linked to increased susceptibility to infections, slower healing, and even chronic inflammation. Your immune system runs a nightly tune-up while you snooze.³

🧠 Brain Detox + Memory
The glymphatic system, the brain’s waste-clearing mechanism, is most active during sleep. This helps flush out neurotoxins like beta-amyloid, linked to cognitive decline. Plus, memories are consolidated and learning reinforced during this time.⁴

So when someone says, “Scientists don’t know why we sleep,” what they often mean is: the reasons we do know don’t sound flashy enough for an article in today’s mainstream media that loves clickbait. But in the world of holistic health, we know better. The basics aren’t boring. They’re not optional. They’re foundational.

When Did the Basics Stop Being Enough?

This article (and others like it) highlight a larger cultural blind spot: we’ve grown to undervalue the basics of health. We’ve been trained to look for cutting-edge answers or trendy biohacks instead of honoring the daily habits that keep us alive and thriving.

Sleep, real food, sunshine, movement, connection—these are the unglamorous yet immensely powerful practices that modern health often overlooks.

Maybe it creates some urgency that somehow spurs us on, but we don’t need some mysterious, still-undiscovered “why” to justify prioritizing our well-being. In many cases, we already have the answers. We just have to understand their value and stop bypassing them.

But What if You Can’t Sleep?

You try to sleep… but can’t? You’re waking up at 2am every night? You’ve gotta pee 27 times? Those are not just random quirks or “normal” signs of aging (common ≠ normal). They’re clues.

Blood sugar dysregulation, mineral imbalance, detox stress, hormonal misfires… we have to look at what else is going on —at your lab work. too - to connect the dots on what your body is trying to tell you.

Let Sleep Be the Sacred Powerhouse It Is

As a practitioner, I see it all the time: clients who prioritize rest heal faster, think more clearly, and feel better. AND sleep is free!

So the next time someone says, “We still don’t really know why we sleep,” feel free to (gently) correct them. Or better yet? Shut your screen, turn down the lights, and go get some high-quality rest.

Your body will thank you in every way that matters.

Want help getting better sleep?

Take the Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire to get a Wellness Snapshot so we can start to see where your body needs some support.

References

Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40-43. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010

Spiegel K, Tasali E, Penev P, Van Cauter E. Brief communication: Sleep curtailment in healthy young men is associated with decreased leptin levels, elevated ghrelin levels, and increased hunger and appetite. Ann Intern Med. 2004;141(11):846-850. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-141-11-200412070-00008

Besedovsky L, Lange T, Born J. Sleep and immune function. Pflugers Arch. 2012;463(1):121-137. doi:10.1007/s00424-011-1044-0

Xie L, Kang H, Xu Q, et al. Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science. 2013;342(6156):373-377. doi:10.1126/science.1241224