Is sleep really a way for the brain to detox?

Our brains constantly produce waste, and if too much waste accumulates, it increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Brain waste removal is the process of removing harmful waste from the brain. Previous studies have shown that the brain can efficiently remove metabolic waste during sleep, and this process does not work effectively when awake. On May 13, 2024, researchers from Imperial College London, UK, published an article in Nature Neuroscience, a sub-journal of Nature, stating that during sleep, the brain clearance rate was significantly reduced, not increased. Compared with awake mice, the clearance rate of the brain of mice in the sleeping state was reduced by 30%. The results show that the brain is very efficient in clearance when awake, and being awake, active, and exercising can more effectively remove toxins from the brain. Of course, further research is needed to understand the metabolic mechanism of the human brain.

Author: Science rumor refutation new media

Review | Tang Qin, Chief Researcher, Science Popularization Department, Chinese Medical Association