Summary: For a long time now, we have known that sleeping carries with it many benefits. However, we have not known why we need to sleep. A recent study, however, has found a possible answer. While awake and functioning, brain cells produce waste which accumulates over time. During sleep, it was shown that the mechanism for disposing of this waste acted quicker, and the cells themselves shrunk, allowing for more waste matter to be expelled from the brain.
Relevance: This article deals with the functioning of cells in the brains, namely the waste products of their reactions and with their shrinking to allow for a greater volume of waste to be expelled.
Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/brains-flush-toxic-waste-in-sleep-including-alzheimers-linked-protein-study-of-mice-finds/2013/10/19/9af49e40-377a-11e3-8a0e-4e2cf80831fc_story.html
What would happen to this cell waste if we stopped sleeping?
ReplyDeleteIt would accumulate, which is the problem that is solved by sleeping.
DeleteHow many hours of sleep do we need to recieve its benefits?
ReplyDelete