Bright Eyes, Clean Brains: Sleep Might Scrub Away Gray Matter Waste
19th October 2013
It’s long been known that sleep, much like eating or breathing, is a vital process for humans and animals. Insufficient shut-eye in people impairs cognition, curbs energy levels, and has been linked to a bevy of illnesses. But while scientists have explored myriad mechanisms that might explain why sleep is so critical, they’ve yet to come up with a firm answer. Now, new research offers yet another compelling theory: sleep allows our brains to clean themselves up.