Maybe it would be worth a little more effort to get what is so desired, but often unattainable good sleep.
Deep sleep clears the mind of waste just as a “dishwasher” cleans dirty plates and glasses, just-published research suggests — and there’s more.
The findings also offer insight into how sleeping pills can disrupt the brain’s “washing” system — potentially affecting it cognitive function for people in the long run.
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The study’s senior author, Professor Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester, New York, and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, said that norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter and hormone) moves blood vessels gather — generating slow pulsations that create a rhythmic flow in the surrounding liquid to carry away debris, the SWNS news agency noted.
Nedergaard said, “It’s like turning on the dishwasher before you go to bed and waking up with a clear brain… We’re essentially asking what triggers this process and trying to define restorative sleep based on” this “glymphatic clearance.”
“It’s like turning on the dishwasher before going to bed and waking up with a clear mind.” (iStock)
The brain has a built-in waste removal process — the glymphatic system — that circulates fluid in the brain and spinal cord to clear away waste, scientists say.
The process helps remove toxic proteins that form sticky deposits associated with neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
But according to the study, the scientists indicated that until now it was not clear what drives the system.
Is every dream created equal? Researchers wanted to find out.
To find the clues, Nedergaard and her team investigated what happens in mice when the brain sleeps, SWNS reported on the study. The team focused on the relationship between norepinephrine and blood flow during deep sleep.
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They found that waves of norepinephrine correlated with variations in blood volume in the brain—suggesting that norepinephrine triggers rhythmic pulsing in blood vessels. The researchers then compared changes in blood volume to the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
Cerebrospinal fluid flow fluctuates with changes in blood volume—suggesting that the vessels act as pumps that move the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid to flush out waste.
During deep sleep, toxic proteins that create sticky plaques linked to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease are removed, scientists say in a new study. (iStock)
Natalie Hauglund of the University of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford, lead author of the study, said: “You can look at norepinephrine as [the] orchestra conductor.”
She added: “There is harmony in the constriction and dilation of the arteries, which then force cerebrospinal fluid through the brain to remove waste products.”
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Hauglund said she wants to understand if all sleep is equal.
To find out, the research team gave mice zolpidem, a common sleep medication.
“If people are not getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of it so they can make informed decisions.”
They found that waves of norepinephrine during deep sleep were 50% lower in zolpidem-treated mice than in naturally sleeping mice.
Although the zolpidem-treated mice fell asleep faster — the transport of fluid into the brain dropped by more than 30%, as reported by SWNS.
Two new studies point to the importance of a good night’s sleep—one study says sleep deprivation can sabotage the brain’s ability to keep intrusive thoughts at bay. (iStock)
The researchers say their findings, published in the journal Cell, suggest that the sleeping aid could disrupt the removal of noradrenaline waste products during sleep.
Hauglund said, “More and more people are using it sleeping medicineand it is very important to know if it is a healthy dream. If people are not getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of it so they can make informed decisions.”
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The research team said the findings likely apply to humans, who also have a glymphatic system, although this requires further testing.
Nedergaard added, “Now that we know that norepinephrine triggers brain clearing, we may be able to figure out how to give people a long and restorative sleep.”
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Meanwhile, lack of sleep can cause more harm than just making people groggy.
This could sabotage the brain’s ability to keep intrusive thoughts at bay.
Anyone who suffers from sleep deprivation may find that the brain’s defenses against unwanted memories are weakened, experts say. (iStock)
Another new study, this one published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that sleep deprivation weakens the brain’s defenses against unwanted memories, allowing them to flood the mind, according to New York Post.
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“We show that sleep deprivation disrupts prefrontal inhibition of memory retrieval and that overnight recovery of this inhibitory mechanism is associated with time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep,” the researchers said.
