One major reason why your brain needs more sleep

Sleep helps you be at your best, repairs tissues, protects you from heart disease and diabetes, etc. Sleeping is also essential to brain health.

Jeff Iliff, a neuroscientist at Oregon Health and Science University, is exploring the unique functions of the brain. His previous research centered on brain cleansing mechanisms at University of Rochester Medical Center.

According to his research, although our brain takes only 2% of our body’s mass, it uses 25% of our energy. As with any organ of the body, it needs to handle nutrient intake and waste disposal.

The body requires a continuous supply of nutrients to fuel the cells. However, just as every cell needs nutrients to energize it, they also produce waste as a result. It’s not an issue for most organs as waste disposal is done through the lymphatic system which transfers waste from cells to the bloodstream. But our brain doesn’t have this system in place for waste disposal. So how does our brain get rid of waste?

One of the waste products that needs to be cleared from our brain is Amyloid Beta which is thought to be a reason for Alzheimer’s disease. When we don’t get enough sleep, Amyloid Beta increases.

Iliff explains that the brain is enclosed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The waste from inside the brain is dumped into the CSF which is then transported to the blood. However, it’s a bit crucial in the brain unlike what the lymphatic system does to the organs. In the brain, “there is a specialized network of plumbing that organizes and facilitates this process,” says Iliff.

The CSF is pumped back into and through the blood vessels to clean the waste from the spaces between the brain cells. However, this waste disposal method is entirely unique to the brain and only happens during sleep because that is when the brain cells contract, thus opening up spaces between them that allow the CSF to flow easily.

Featured image via daily-harvest.com