Study Suggests During Sleep, Neural Process Helps Clear the Brain of Damaging Waste

March 14, 2024byDr. Monica M. Bertagnolli

Weve long known that sleep is a restorative process necessary for good health. Research has also shown that the accumulation of waste products in the brain is a leading cause of numerous neurological disorders, includingAlzheimersandParkinsonsdiseases. What hasnt been clear is how the healthy brain self-cleans, or flushes out that detrimental waste.

But a new study by a research team supported in part by NIH suggests that a neural process that happens while we sleep helps cleanse the brain, leading us to wake up feeling rested and restored. Better understanding this process could one day lead to methods that help people function well on less sleep. It could also help researchers find potential ways to delay or prevent neurological diseases related to accumulated waste products in the brain.