The Nuance

Why Do We Sleep? Science May Have Finally Figured It Out

Your brain is equipped with a waste management system that does most of its work while you slumber

Markham Heid
Elemental
Published in
4 min readJan 19, 2022

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Photo: Lux Graves/Unsplash

Two centuries ago, the Scottish physician Robert Macnish theorized that the purpose of sleep was to “renovate the mind” by offering it a period of deep repose.

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Markham Heid
Elemental

I’m a frequent contributor at TIME, the New York Times, and other media orgs. I write mostly about health and science. I like long walks and the Grateful Dead.