Want to reduce your chance of neurodegenerative diseases? Well get a proper sleep-wake clock

–Camelia Bhattacharyya, Amity University Kolkata

Thomas Dekker once said, “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and bodies together”, but is sleep the ultimate way? Well no. The function of the glymphatic system which controls the processes involved in the removal of all the wastes (amyloid-beta, etc.) accumulated in the brain during the wake phase of a person’s internal clock depends on how the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is pumped through the brain tissues. Thus, along with sleep, the cardiovascular system also plays a major role in controlling the environment of the brain.

Every system in this world is a result of harmony among several other smaller systems; the sleep cycle is also dependent on circadian rhythms which are maintained by astrocytes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. It has been studied and proved that the glymphatic system functions only during the original resting period of mice models (used in the study) even after being anesthetized.

Thus, someone sleeping during the day to compensate for an entire night might acquire neurodegenerative diseases. So, to avoid suffering later, make friendship with your body and your mind.

Source: Circadian control of brain glymphatic and lymphatic fluid flow, Lauren M. Hablitz, Virginia Plá, Michael Giannetto, Hanna S. Vinitsky, Frederik Filip Staeger, Tanner Metcalfe, Rebecca Nguyen, Abdellatif Benrais, Maiken Nedergaard, Nature Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI:10.1038/s41467-020-18115-2