As we all know, your brain is filled with "trash" when you are awake and functioning throughout the day. The brain releases proteins and other small substances while a person is awake, and the longer the person is awake, the more "trash" that is released. One protein fragment that is released is amyloid-beta. This is the protein that is in excess in people who have Alzheimer's disease.
How does the brain release itself of all this litter in your brain, you ask? The glymphatic system is a system in your brain that essentially comes in and cleans out your brain of debris. Fluid, that comes from the brain and spinal cord, gets in between the brain cells and washes out any trash.
The significance of the study (and hence the title) is that the glymphatic system kicks into overdrive and works best while a person is sleeping. This is one of many reasons why getting adequate sleep is important. Your brain needs this time to get a proper cleansing more thoroughly than what is done throughout the day.
Sleeping brains take a bath
No wonder I have a headache when I didn't get enough sleep the night before. This goes to show you how important sleep is to help keep your body healthy.
ReplyDeleteYup, until you start sleeping too much like I tend to do.
DeleteI read about this earlier this week! It's amazing to see how important sleep really is!
ReplyDeleteI agree especially for college students that are usually sleep-deprived.
Delete