Sleep also plays a part in synaptic conditioning -- it's when the brain prunes itself by separating signal from noise... "Sleep researchers at the University o

Sleep also plays a part in synaptic conditioning -- it's when the brain prunes itself by separating signal from noise... "Sleep researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health believe it is more evidence for their theory of 'synaptic homeostasis.' This is the idea that synapses grow stronger when we're awake as we learn and adapt to an ever-changing the environment, that sleep refreshes the brain by bringing synapses back to a lower level of strength. This is important because larger synapses consume a lot of energy, occupy more space and require more supplies, including the proteins examined in this study." "Sleep — by allowing synaptic downscaling — saves energy, space and material, and clears away unnecessary 'noise' from the previous day, the researchers believe. The fresh brain is then ready to learn again in the morning" (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090402143455.ht...).