What does the brain do in sleep? 5 amazing tasks it carries out every night
Let's explore the amazing things the brain does while we catch up on our beauty sleep every night.
Discards waste
One of the most important jobs your brain does during sleep is cleaning out waste, just like you do it everyday at your home. Throughout the day, your brain cells produce waste products as they work. If these wastes build up overtime, they can cause problems like memory loss or brain diseases. Hence, it is important to discard the waste on an everyday basis.
During sleep, a special cleaning system called the glymphatic system becomes active. It uses cerebrospinal fluid to flush out toxins and harmful proteins from the brain. Think of it as a nightly brain wash that helps keep your brain healthy and working well.
Hence, getting good quality sleep, night after night may lower the risk of diseases like Alzheimer's, which is linked to the buildup of harmful proteins in the brain.
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Sorting and storing
Sleep plays a key role in helping your brain remember things. When you learn something new during the day, or even a new skill, your brain needs time to process and store that information and helps you retain it.
During sleep, especially during a stage called REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, your brain sorts through the memories you made during the day. It decides which memories to keep and which ones to discard. (imagine remembering how difficult it would be to remember everything about your life!) Important memories get strengthened and moved from short-term storage to long-term storage.
(such as the day of your wedding, or the day when you lost a loved one) This is why a good night's sleep can help you do better in school or work, because your brain has had time to organize and save what you learned.
Recharge and rejuvenate
Even though the brain never fully 'turns off,' it uses less energy during sleep. Sleep gives your brain a chance to recharge and restore energy so it can work well the next day, and the day after that, and so on.
During deep sleep, brain activity slows down, and the brain cells get a break from their busy schedule. This rest helps repair cells and supports the growth of new brain cells and connections.
Think of it like charging your phone battery overnight—your brain needs that recharge to stay sharp, focused, and alert to do it all again the next day!
Regulates Emotions and Mood
Sleep helps the brain manage emotions and mood. When you don't get enough sleep, you might feel more irritable, stressed, or anxious, or even physically sick! That's because sleep affects the parts of the brain that control emotions.
During sleep, especially REM sleep, the brain processes emotional experiences and helps reduce emotional stress. It also strengthens the brain's ability to handle difficult feelings and improves emotional resilience, and strength. This is why good sleep is important for mental health. It can help reduce the risk of depression, anxiety, and mood disorders.
Supports Learning and Creativity
Sleep is a powerful tool for boosting creativity and problem-solving skills.
When you sleep, your brain connects ideas and information in new ways, helping you come up with creative solutions.
During REM sleep, the brain is especially active, almost like it's dreaming up new ideas. This stage helps your brain make unexpected connections between memories and knowledge.
Many people find that after a good night's sleep, they can think more clearly and solve problems better (which is why it is said to revise in the morning before an exam or a presentation) . That's because the brain has had time to work behind the scenes while you were asleep.
Sources
Medical News Today
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
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