Did You Know This About Sleep?

Because I certainly didn’t, until I watched This Video from TedTalks this morning. Amazing!!

Apparently, our brain has no lymph structures – the lymph system is what provides drainage of waste materials from our cells. But the brain doesn’t have any. I did not know that!!

So, how does the brain get rid of the waste that is a natural byproduct of every cell?

It uses CSF Cerebrospinal fluid, which is made in the brain, to wash away the natural waste products. This CSF washes through the brain tissues, along the blood vessels

But it only does so, during sleep.

Wow!!

I did not know that!!

Philosophers, and scientists over the millenia have debated the reason for sleep, and for needing so much of it. Our modern culture has greatly undermined sleep’s importance, leading to it being viewed as some sort of weakness to need sleep. Our society is just not set up to giving sleep the allocated time it should have. Many people try to cram 48 hours into 24, and we don’t give our bodies and minds the downtime they really need

But this information about how the brain washes the CSF along the blood vessels during sleep……………..well, as the title of the talk says – One More Reason To Get a Good Night’s Sleep!!