Taking care of one’s health and well-being very often involves small and simple daily actions. Training, strengthening and stimulating the brain to keep fit is an activity that could help prevent numerous neurodegenerative diseases. Among these there is one, in particular, which characterizes a large part of our day and which we sometimes neglect. In fact, it is essential for everyone’s mental health if done properly. We are talking about sleep and a recent study by an American university showed what happens during the hours of rest in certain areas of the brain.
What the study reveals
Many researchers have already confirmed that sleep represented a relevant component for maintaining optimal well-being. However, what the mind can do during the hours of deep sleep is truly prodigious according to a study from Northwestern University in Illinois. It is amazing how the brain can eliminate toxic substances if this daily action is carried out adequately and the study confirms the hypothesis. Scientists have carried out experiments on Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly that has sleep cycles very similar to humans.
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The researchers injected a substance into the bodies of these insects to understand what were the mechanisms of elimination of the same during sleep. The data found that in the phases of deep sleep, Drosophila extends and retracts its proboscis which is located at the muzzle. This movement, in the fly, coincides with the pumping function of fluids for excretory activity similar to that of the human kidney.
Precisely this movement facilitated the elimination of the substance that the scientists had injected. This data therefore shows a close correlation between deep sleep and waste disposal. This ability to eliminate waste substances by the brain also occurs during wakefulness. However, in deep sleep it seems more pronounced. It is amazing how the brain can eliminate toxic substances if this daily action is carried out properly. When the researchers hindered the phase of deep sleep, in fact, they found a lower disposal of toxic substances. This results in higher and dangerous levels of stress for the body.
How important is the phase of deep sleep
The researchers shared their studies in the scientific journal Science Advances highlighting the salient aspects of their investigation. Scientific evidence therefore shows that sleep, although it represents a moment of greater vulnerability to external threats for the animal kingdom, is indispensable. It is amazing how toxic substances can be eliminated from the brain by carrying out this daily action adequately. This finding could be an important starting point for better understanding how to prevent some human neurodegenerative diseases.
Deepening
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