Brain Clears Toxins During Sleep

A research paper published October 18 in Science, used an animal model, the mouse, to show how toxins are flushed out of the body during sleep. An example of a toxin is beta-amyloid, the protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. While the mouse was awake, very little flushing of toxins was observed. However, when the mouse was asleep the space between the neurons widened and more cerebral spinal fluid flowed between the cells, thus flushing out the toxins. While this is an animal study, we do know that the importance of sleep for good health and well-being is being recognized more and more.