Sleep is not just relaxation and passive pastime. It is actually an active state that literally cleanses our brain..

After all, when you, for example, have a party, you don’t clean up until everyone has gone home. So it is with the brain: while you are awake, it does not have the opportunity to rest or clear itself of unnecessary garbage..

The awake brain makes a mess.

The brain is a kind of computer, and all its work is logical and thought out.. However, in addition to the fact that the brain controls the “way of the party”, without missing the slightest detail, at the same time it makes a mess.

As you know, our cells burn energy in order to function.. Naturally, after such a “bonfire”, various “combustion products” and toxic waste remain.. This can be compared to empty glasses, overflowing ashtrays and a mountain of dirty dishes that are left after a party when everyone goes home.. The owner looks at this in despair, and then decides that he will deal with everything the next day and goes to bed. The same thing happens with our brain, with the only difference being that it is capable of self-cleaning during sleep, but you have to clean the apartment and take out all the garbage after the party yourself..

To clean up the apartment after a noisy party, the owner will have to put in the energy to reverse the mess.. With this, everything is clear and understandable, but how the brain washes away all sorts of garbage and waste has still remained a mystery.. This is because, unlike any other organ in the body, the brain does not have lymphatic channels, an autonomous drainage highway that carries white blood cells, antigens, and metabolic waste from our organs to the lymph nodes..

Filtering toxins while you sleep.

In humans, there are 700 lymph nodes that filter extracellular fluid before returning it to the bloodstream through the large subclavian veins in the neck (they are located next to the jugular vein). Blood circulates in a circle, but lymph flows only in one direction towards the heart. Other components of the lymphatic system are the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, and thymus (thymus).

How does the brain cope with cleaning, given the lack of communication with the lymphatic channels? One of the answers to this difficult question was recently published in the journal Science.. The authors of the study suggest that the whole thing in the cerebrospinal fluid. This crystal clear liquid constantly circulates in the central nervous system and is reabsorbed. The main volume of cerebrospinal fluid is formed by active secretion by glandular cells (ependymocytes) of choroid plexuses in the ventricles of the brain. 600-700 milliliters of fluid are produced daily, that is, the cerebrospinal fluid is completely renewed approximately 4 times a day.

This fluid circulates in the ventricles of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid ducts, subarachnoid (subarachnoid) space of the brain and spinal cord, washing the entire space between individual cells. Then it is reabsorbed in the veins, enters the general circulation, and the cycle begins anew..

During this unique “flushing” cycle, the brain not only removes toxic waste, but also collects beneficial molecules and nutrients.. We still have a lot to discover in this direction, but today it is known for sure that the brain is capable of self-purification, and this process is simply incredible and amazing.. Moreover, this discovery contradicts what scientists knew about the brain some decades ago..

So, based on the knowledge gained, what happens when a person does not get enough sleep regularly? Lack of sleep leads to increased formation of beta-amyloid and neurofibrillary tangles in brain tissues. But it is this process that is a key feature of Alzheimer's disease, the causes of which are still not fully understood..

By the way, doctors and scientists noted for several decades that people with mental problems sleep poorly and for a very short time.. Traditionally, this was attributed to the degeneration of their brains.. But over time, researchers began to doubt that insomnia was the result of mental problems.. On the contrary, more and more often there were suggestions that it is one of the reasons for their appearance, and not just a consequence and result..

So, the scientists decided to conduct an experiment on mice, observing the movement of cerebrospinal fluid in their brain tissues (for this they stained it with contrast). It turned out that this fluid circulates much faster when the animals are under anesthesia or just sleeping.. But when they are awake, they practically do not move.. The conclusion suggests itself: toxins, including beta-amyloids, are eliminated from the sleeping brain twice as fast as from the waking one..

A subsequent human study confirmed this finding.. It turned out that the level of beta-amyloid increases during wakefulness, and decreases when a person falls asleep.. This is especially evident in adolescents and young adults.. So mothers, as always, are right when they remind grown-up children that if you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to work or study fully the next day..

What are the long-term consequences of sleep deprivation in terms of dementia is not yet clear. Today, this remains a logical paradox that goes like this: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”? » Be that as it may, while scientists solve the mysteries of the brain, get enough sleep. Who knows, perhaps by doing this you not only clear your brain, but also prevent the development of such a terrible disease as dementia..

Sleep sweetly, and sleep at least 7-8 hours a day - your brain will thank you for it!

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