Why Your Brain Needs Sleep

Scientists have just discovered a new, very important reason for you to get a good night's sleep. For the first time, they've actually been able to see the brain physically cleaning itself while you're catching Zzz's! Anthony explains how this cerebral garbage disposal system works.

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To sleep, perchance to clean
"In findings that give fresh meaning to the old adage that a good night's sleep clears the mind, a new study shows that a recently discovered system that flushes waste from the brain is primarily active during sleep."

Lymphatic system

How Sleep Works
Missing Sleep: One way to understand why we sleep is to look at what happens when we don't get enough.

Coping With Excessive Sleepiness
"You know lack of sleep can make you grumpy and foggy. You may not know what it can do to your sex life, memory, health, looks, and even ability to lose weight. Here are 10 surprising -- and serious -- effects of sleep loss."

Watch More:
How Much Sleep Do We Need?
TestTube Wild Card:
Sleep Loss Screws Your Genes!
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[IglooDweller]

So, the brain is so busy looking after the body all day that sleep is when it gets to focus on itself.

[cathyvickers]

I've found that sleeping also helps my body to relax after getting physically & emotionally worked up. I'm lying down trying to relax, so I take a nap, & it always works.

[Seeker]

Sleep is the the best, and it just got better! Your brain does some crazy stuff while you're knocked out: Why Your Brain Needs Sleep

[jvasquez]

I love sleep I can't function without my beautiful sleep :)

[TheRomanRuler]

But my teacher/boss hates when i sleep enough, i always have to wake up too early... 

[DarkWarriorsPwnage]

FUCK i need to stop going to sleep at 2 am

[ianfortuna]

I’ve been a nightshift security guard (12am-8am) for over a year let me tell you friends sleep is not to be taken lightly don’t take it for granted you will regret it and you will pay for it heavily in the long run so if you have the ability to sleep don’t waste anything further
20 minutes of sleep can be the difference between a blood clot and smooth sailing in your arteries

[Chidds]

I'm definitely going to take sleep more seriously now.

[daveenadams]

When I was younger living with my mom I would come home from school and take a nap. I woke up felt good, refreshed did my homework after with ease and mental clarity. Then I moved in with my dad and he wouldn’t allow me to take naps (probably thought it was gay). So my body was yearning for good sleep and it caused me to be so groggy in the morning it was very hard to wake up and I would wake up with headaches, and if I didn’t get up right away he would ripp the sheets off of me. Thinking back on it I really hate him for that lol. Now I am 29 with sleeping problems ( most nights I don’t even hit rem sleep) I don’t want to take any pills or anything. I just wish I could wake up feeling fresh just once man.

[goldphysh]

Best secret for sleeping - 1 tsp of raw honey before bed. Apparently it helps maintains glycogen stores so your brain doesn’t activate a stress response - which can happen when glycogen stores are low. Honey also helps release of melatonin in the brain and helps w/the release of tryptophan in the brain IF you ate some about 2-3 hours earlier.

[danstankay]

I have never felt so motivated to do something i really want to do
GREAT VIDEO

[Zerpentile]

Watching this 3:20 am and have to wake up 5:30 am. /care

[itzmemay]

Man I wish I could sleep for a long period of time as I uses to. Now I can't really sleep without waking up. And now, in the morning I waking up feeling tired everyday

[dangerouspie]

Your body recognizes darkness as a time to sleep, so it's easier to fall asleep in the dark. Your internal clock also plays a role in it, though as it's even easier to go to sleep when your body knows it's night. I'm not sure what the effects would be if you're already asleep, though.

[bobgnops]

Why cant we sleep for 3 days n stay awake for the next 3

[jozsefbiro]

Sleep deprivation messes up the body, whether you want it or not. I've heard of cases of death due to sleep deprivation. It is a serious matter. I alternate periods of lots of sleep (like 8-10 hours) with periods of less sleep ((5-6 hours). It is all up to how energetic I feel.

[FoamKittyGamer]

I think being awake causes your Adrenal gland to drain out, and become overworked.
The Adrenal gland is like a battery, to your sanity and everything you do.

When the Adrenal gland is being used while awake, and not being replenished while asleep, can therefore give you less energy to your organs, causing non-vital organs to slow/shut down.

This is likely what causes death with too much sleep deprivation, organ shut-down like with dying of old age,

[michaelinzo]

Haven't gotten sleep yesterday...stayed up late watched news, wasted my time.... I keep forgetting the importance of sleep... Thank you discovery science for reminding me the value of sleep

[DiamondZniper]

Aaaah, I remember the olden days, in year 4, me and my friends would brag about the fact that we stayed up till 9:30pm, hahaha.

[EchoMike]

So true, getting enough sleep is good but too much can lead to other complications. On the converse lack of sleep also leads to complications. Our soldiers are trained to go for days without sleep but at what cost? 81 hours is my max and i slept for 12 hours after that.