Do you ever feel like you need to declutter or detox your brain? Scientifically you actually do, and the way it works might make you look at sleep in a whole new way.
In a recent interview with TODAY.com, Dr. Ayesha Sherzai of The Brain Docs explained that the glymphatic system flushes out lactic acid, protein and potassium that the brain uses for energy to keep our thoughts spinning. As the brain uses fuel for activities like work, driving and scrolling on our phones, it creates this waste that gets left behind.
According to a study published in the Neurochemical Research journal around 10 years ago, the glymphatic system was at that point a “recently discovered macroscopic waste clearance system” that was found to “promote efficient elimination of soluble proteins and metabolites from the central nervous system.”
Sherzai called the system a “very elegant” cleansing mechanism that gets activated during sleep. That means that no special vitamins or potions are needed for a brain detox – all that’s needed is sleep.
While it might seem like not much is going on while we’re getting shut-eye, Sherzai said there’s a whole clean up operation happening in your brain. When people miss a night of sleep, they don’t get the benefit of this clean-up. They can also lose out if they consume too much caffeine or if things disrupt sleep.
“Sleep is one of the best detoxes that we have,” Sherzai told TODAY.com.
During the glymphatic system brain cleanup process (which happens all the time but is most active during sleep, according to Sherzai), trash from the brain is collected and transported to the bloodstream, where it is filtered by the kidneys and liver and eliminated from the body. Sleep is important to the process because channels in the brain expand significantly at the deep-sleep stage, allowing the brain’s fluids drive the leftover waste product out of the brain, Sherzai said.
“When anything the brain has no use for shelters for too long in the brain, it can have long-term harmful effects,” TODAY.com added, citing the Cleveland Clinic.
So, what a “brain detox” requires is seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Laying down in a dark, quiet environment between 68 and 72 degrees is recommended.
“That means that it is uninterrupted,” Sherzai said. “It allows you to go through different stages of sleep.”
Getting seven to eight hours of sleep might seem like a piece of cake for some people, but it’s not easy for everyone. Per the American Medical Association, about one in three adults experience bouts of sleep loss that can last for a few days at a time, a condition known as acute insomnia. One in 10 adults suffer from chronic insomnia, defined as sleep loss more than three nights a week for three or more months.
“Chronic insomnia can lead to increased risk of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and motor vehicle accidents,” said the AMA. “Over time, this lack of sleep can contribute to health problems such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension.”
Sherzai said cognitive behavioral therapy can help some people overcome nighttime anxiety and other issues that prevent sleep. She also said people should avoid eating two hours before they go to sleep, that they should avoid alcohol and restrict caffeine intake to promote healthy sleeping habits.
“If you need to use the bathroom or if noise wakes you up in the middle of the night, Sherzai assures you can fall into deep sleep again as long as you don’t get too alert and avoid blue light,” said TODAY.com.
Sherzai also said people can use the “NEURO,” an acronym as a tool to support their brain detox efforts. It stands for nutrition, exercise, unwind, restorative sleep and optimization of activities.
“If you pay attention to these things, you don’t have to buy a vitamin,” she said.
