How can the PHP code structure be optimized to improve readability and maintainability, especially when dealing with sessions and user authentication?

To improve readability and maintainability when dealing with sessions and user authentication in PHP, it is recommended to separate concerns by creating separate files or classes for session handling, user authentication, and other related functionalities. This helps in organizing the codebase and makes it easier to understand and maintain.

// session.php
session_start();

// auth.php
function authenticateUser($username, $password) {
    // authentication logic
}

// index.php
include 'session.php';
include 'auth.php';

// code that uses session and authentication functionalities