In 2011 the Mental Health Foundation launched a nationwide campaign to highlight the importance of sleep in maintaining good mental health. It has also been suggested that sleep can help maintain physical health, including helping prevent heart disease and cancer.
Sleep Cleans the Brain Toxins - the BBC reports
According to a study from Rochester University published in the Journal Science, the brain uses sleep to wash away the waste toxins built up during a hard day's thinking.
Sleep has been described as an “enigma.” Its benefit to well-being is unquestionable - but the way it repairs damage in the body remains to be fully established.
What can we do to get a good night's sleep as we get older?
Nearly 50% of older adults complain of sleeping problems. These include difficulties in getting to sleep, waking up at different times during the night and waking up too early in the morning. Over 5 million prescriptions for sleeping tablets are issued each year in the UK to the over 65's!