We all heard at some point in our life that proper sleep is essential for a healthy body andmind and can be as important as breathing, eating a balanced diet or drinking enough water. It has been proven that poor sleep contributes to many health issues such as depression, heart diseases and stroke or neurodegenerative conditions. Getting enough restful sleep prevents weight gain, increases mental performance and creativity, strengthens the immune system and helps to keep many diseases at bay. Getting your seven or so hours of good night sleep is not always as easy as it seems but is undoubtedly one of the pillars of physical, emotional and mental health.
We spend approximately a third of our lives sleeping. Good night sleep not only helps us function properly during waking hours and gives our bodies a unique opportunity to repair and regenerate but also aids metabolic waste removal and detoxification. The last function is critical in maintaining good health.
Waste removal from the body is facilitated by the lymphatic system which is present throughout most of the body and is designed to transport lymph and cleanse the body’s tissues and cells. Lymph circulation is also important for maintaining tissue fluid homeostasis, facilitating absorption of fatty substances from the digestive system and keeping the immune system at its optimal level. However, the brain and spinal cord have no true lymphatic vessels to remove cellular waste which can build up very quickly due their high activity and sensitivity to environmental changes. That is where the so called glymphatic system comes in.
The glymphatic system is a newly discovered macroscopic waste clearance network which runs parallel to arteries and is formed by astroglial cells (these cells are vital to waste removal). This unique network, is responsible for efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system. It also helps distribute nutrients and some neurotransmitters in the brain. Further research on the glymphatic structure of the brain has revealed that its activity peaks mainly during sleep and decreases considerably when we are awake.
It may explain why we feel the biological need to sleep so the brain can enter an optimal state of activity which facilitates elimination of its normal metabolic waste as well as other potentially toxic substances. Its dependence on sleep-awake states has significant implications for human health as sleep disturbance or deprivation caused by shiftwork, erratic lifestyle or often accompanying other illnesses such as depression leads to the glymphatic system suppression and may eventually contribute to further health issues such as neurodegeneration, stroke or brain injuries. This fascinating system still requires further studies to unearth its full potential and functioning. Meantime, the glymphatic system existence gives us yet another good reason to get some good sleep.