Scientists have confirmed the surprising effect of sleep on the brain: it "washes away" the toxins accumulated during the day
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) have confirmed the amazing effect of sleep on the brain. When a person goes to sleep, their brain goes through a gentle rinse cycle, washing away the toxic byproducts that have arisen during the day.
The researchers used a set of technologies to identify the underlying mechanism that cleanses the brain. The findings not only help to better understand how a person recovers at night, but also reveal an unexpected drawback of common sleep medications, ScienceAlert writes.
Sleep cleanses the brain of toxins.
Source: William Brans Petersen/ku.dk
Many people suffer from sleep problems. Especially Ukrainians, given the war. According to psychologists, anxiety and fear have a negative impact on sleep.
The key to a good night's rest is the process that takes place during sleep: the glymphatic system is busy removing waste that has accumulated during the day. That's why this system is also called a "brain washing machine," researchers write on the University of Copenhagen's website.
Previously, scientists could not accurately determine the drivers of the glymphatic system. But now they have identified the main mechanism - a kind of a "pump."
"It is extremely interesting, because we can use this knowledge to better understand the effect of sleep and prevent sleep-related diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, where the accumulation of waste products in the brain plays a key role," said Natalie Hauglund, first author of the new study at the Center for Translational Neuroscience.
Researchers have also studied the effects of sleep medications.
Source: Freepik
As part of the new study, experts also examined the effects of the drugs, in particular the active ingredient zolpidem, on sleep quality.
"It is a widely used prescription drug that helps you fall asleep. We found that the noradrenaline level was significantly reduced, and the slow brain waves disappeared, reducing the effect of the glymphatic system. This suggests that the sleep achieved using the sleep medication is not as beneficial as normal, restorative sleep," Hauglund emphasized.
Previous studies have shown that sleep deprivation is associated with dementia. According to Natalie, the new discovery may eventually help prevent and treat neurodegenerative disorders.
"If the glymphatic system does not function properly, it won’t be able to remove all waste products from the brain, and previous research has shown that there is a connection between the accumulation of waste products in the brain and disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease," the researcher added.
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