Now this is probably not what you think it is…
I have been quoting a particular study a lot lately offline with a number of people that are very close to me. I have been doing a bit of research on a couple of key organs and systems in the body over the past few months. I have been spending an inordinate amount on the brain/spinal cord and the heart in particular.
Today, I’m finally getting around to this study of how our brains morph and change when we are asleep vs when we are consciously awake. There has been a fairly long standing theory hanging out there that sleep ‘cleans up’ our heads. Well, a study was conducted and published back in 2013 that provides some strong evidence, albeit in mice, that our brains have fluid that sloshes around when we are asleep.
The study was published in a 2013 issue of the journal Science, and it illustrates how sleep gives the brain a chance to clean itself. The flow of fluids in the brains of mice while conscious and unconsciously asleep. The study was especially focused on a new-to-me system called the glymphatic system – which is the space between neurons in the brain. The glymphatic system is a waste clearing and disposal system aimed at clearing out the cellular waste that gets produced every time we have a thought while awake. Throughout the day these leftovers from the thought creation are deposited like candy wrappers every time you sneak a mini Twix…
In reading this study, I have learned that the brain does not have the conventional lymphatic system that scours the rest of the body for garbage pickup. This is fascinating to me, as the lymph in our bodies is truly a life saving fluid that is very much a secondary fluid when you compare it to our blood. Without lymph sloshing around in our bodies collecting waste for processing by our liver – we would die very quickly. Yet, the brain does not use the lymph/lymphatic system. To me – this is fascinating.
Here’s a quote from the study’s abstract:
“Thus, the restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system.”
So the theory goes like this – our brains are processing during our waking hours and building connections between our neurons. This takes a tremendous amount of energy (and fat!) to think compared to other activities in our bodies. Well, as we race through our overstimulated days – ideally thinking hard during our waking time – the brain does not have time to clean itself. So the candy wrappers continue to pile up while we crank on our thinking…
However, when we go to sleep – the canals in our brains open up – this is a fancy label – interstitial space – increases by 60%!!! This happens only when we are truly asleep or knocked out via anesthesia. I wonder what happens to this space if you are sleeping in an alcohol or drug induced state – such as Tylenol PM. Something tells me that the wine you have before bed or the few Tylenol PMs you popped before hitting the sheets – will affect the canals negatively. Pure conjecture on my part…
Okay – so what the hell is interstitial space?!?!? It warrants a post unto itself – our brains are exceptional – even if you are just examining this on the physical level.
“The brain interstitial system (ISS), is the space among neural cells and capillaries. The ISS is the major compartment of the brain microenvironment that provides the immediate accommodation space for neural cells, and it occupies 15% to 20% of the total brain volume. I had never heard of this subsystem. ”
Here’s my source for the above quote if you really want to geek out on this.
So while the neurons are the sexy system of the brain – it is very much the space in the brain that enables things to truly happen at faster than light speed. As my favorite college professor from Babson College used to say – ‘It isn’t what is on the page that is most interesting, it is what is left off the page either intentionally or unintentionally that says the most.‘
I’ll come back to empty spaces and what they say about you and about me in a future post given a recent 8 hour car ride…
Sleep deprivation has been linked to all sorts of neurodegenerative diseases based upon the presence of certain proteins that get deposited into the interstitial spaces of our brains during waking hours. The study proved that the proteins are higher in our waking hours as opposed to our sleeping hours, and that the longer we are awake – the greater levels of these proteins.
Okay – so we pile up this protein based garbage and we have no traditional lymphatic-based approach to clearing this stuff out? What to do? What to do??!?!
Well, this recently termed glymphatic system that houses this specialized interstitial fluid (ISF) is housed in these pathways in our brains is where the proteins get captured. However, the fluid is effectively frozen while we are awake. For some reason, probably due to my upbringing as a hockey fan – I think of this as mini octopus getting splashed down on the ice like in Detroit when a hat trick happens. The difference here is that the octopus does not get scraped up until the game is played, and everyone goes to sleep. Twix wrappers getting piled up or octopus on an ice rink – either works I guess. Let’s go with the octopus from here…
So during the day – we have these protein after effects from all of the thinking splashing down from our neurons making linkages in our heads, and getting captured in this ISF…
Well, this study has demonstrated that as we sleep – the canals open up – thus enabling the surrounding cranial spinal fluid (CSF) to flow in a convective fashion into these now widened (60% y’all!!!) canals to intermix with our ISF which then does a little exchange for the bad protein with the CSF. Guess what happens when we wake up?
The canals in our brains get squeezed shut again, thus forcing the now bad-protein infused ISF back out of our brain canals. From this point, the ISF does its normal flow, and it gets filtered of the bad protein by guess what?
It isn’t the guy doing clean up at Krogers on aisle ten of some broken eggs…
It is the lymphatic system, and it carries the badness out to the liver for disposal.
So I have read the actual study now, in full three times, and it is fascinating.
There are a number of other ancillary findings that warrant further study – such as how the adrenal system affects this interstitial space and whether or not this is governed by the circadian rhythm or the wakefulness state experienced. The study lands on this ISS / cleaning phenomenon to NOT be a circadian gig, rather it is due to the wakefulness and consciousness states.
Lots to learn is a refrain I find myself saying a lot as of late…
In closing, if you do not get enough sleep – these protein-based toxins do not get adequately cleared out. This shit can be built up. These toxins indicate, over time, substantial risk when it comes to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers. This is not my opinion – your lack of sleep is literally leaving you with a dirty brain.
Your brain was designed beautifully to clean itself out at night when you are asleep and unconscious. The cleaning mechanism and associated memory commitment mechanism (another future post) takes just as much energy at night as it takes during the day to create the thoughts and memories.
If you do not get enough sleep – here is what you are doing to yourself:
- You are increasing the pollution in your brain raising your risk of disease later in life. Think of mini smashed octopus floating around in the spaces of your brain…wouldn’t you want to clear that crap out?!?!
- You are killing your thoughts and memories from the prior day, as your body does not have a chance to commit the neuro connections permanently to physical connections between neurons.
- You are reducing your mental acumen in terms of memory access and memory retrieval. Hello brain fog.
Give your body, your brain – a chance to do its job. The quality of your waking hours will be substantially enhanced. No need for a magic pill or supplement if you do this right.
Sleep on it.
