Poor Sleep: Brain Checks Out While You're Awake

New research from MIT may change how you think about sleep.

During sleep, a wave of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flows out of the brain to help wash away waste products that have built up during the day. This flushing is believed to be necessary for maintaining a healthy, normally functioning brain.

When you're sleep-deprived, your brain tries to "catch up" on this cleansing process while you're awake by initiating pulses of CSF flow. The problem? It can't do both at once.

Your brain has two modes: housekeeping and being awake. They're not compatible.

So when you miss sleep, it forces brief shutdowns - seconds where your attention completely drops - just to flush out the toxins it didn't clear the night before.

This is why one bad night hits harder than you think.

The risks? Car crashes. Poor decisions. Accelerated cognitive decline.

"Sleep disturbances precede most neurodegenerative diseases by up to decades."

If you're optimizing your exercise, nutrition, and productivity but sleeping 5-6 hours - you're leaving everything on the table.

Sleep is vital maintenance.