Sleep & Waste Products

Research is showing a molecular connection between the sleep-wake cycle and the brain’s cleaning system. Meaning, the glymphatic system appears to be able to remove and discard beta-amyloid from brain tissue—when the brain gets sufficient sleep. Cut sleep short, and the glymphatic system may have insufficient time to discard this waste product. How does the waste leave the brain? Several research projects discovered that Dural venous sinuses (venous channels that receive blood from the cerebral veins) and meningeal arteries are lined with conventional lymphatic vessels (part of the immune system). Apparently, the lymphatic vessels act as a conduit to the glymphatic system.