On the weekend I was able to link up with some friends for a pick up game of football. There's a group message for these games. And since the Spring I've had to decline the invites and posts to come out to play. That all changed Saturday when we met up for a game. And it had been a year or so since I'd been out to play. I expected there would be some rust. And I expected to be sore later. Active recovery, nutrition and sleep had to be planned and dialed in if I expected to get through the days that followed. I should add that after the game I stopped in to the gym to test some lifts. So I knew sleep would come easily that evening. But why do we need sleep? And how are my needs for sleep different than that of a baby or a young child? (cue the jokes of being a big baby or acting like a child on occasion...I'll wait) A recent study explains the different needs for sleep at various stages in life. As a baby up until two or three years of age sleep is needed for neural re-organization and learning. This is when our brain is still building and developing and we see the changes almost daily as first steps are taken and first words are spoken. This learning occurs during REM (rapid eye movement) stage sleep and for babies this can account for 50% of sleep. This makes sense when you consider the amount of growth and learning that takes place in the first 24 to 36 months. This is also the reason we let babies sleep as long as they need and don't wake them. When you wake someone deep in REM stage sleep they will be...