Schlaf hilft dem Gehirn, sich zu reinigen – und dieser Prozess kann jetzt beim Menschen völlig nicht-invasiv gemessen werden. Der Reinigungsmechanismus des Gehirns wird durch Pulsationen angetrieben, natürliche Körperrhythmen, die Blut und Gehirn-Rückenmarks-Flüssigkeit durch das Gehirn bewegen.

Sleep helps the brain to cleanse itself – and now this process can be measured in humans entirely non-invasively. Researchers at the University of Oulu have developed a method that allows the increased movement of brain fluids during sleep to be tracked quickly and safely, without the need for injected contrast agents.

The brain’s cleansing mechanism is driven by pulsations, natural bodily rhythms that move blood and cerebrospinal fluid through the brain. These pulsations fall into three main categories: cardiovascular pulsations generated by the heartbeat in arteries, respiratory pulsations affecting veins and cerebrospinal fluid spaces, and slow vasomotor waves in the walls of blood vessels. Previous research has shown that both these pulsations and the brain’s waste clearance are enhanced during sleep.

For those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2510731123

I go to sleep at the same time every night, I read for an hour before bed, I’ve taken magnesium, melatonin, valerian root, I’ve done meditation and weighted blankets. I think I’ve tried every sleep hack in the book. I even used to run up to 40km a week for months and I still cannot sleep properly. I understand sleep is good for me and I want to sleep – I just can’t 🙁

Is there any known disease or disorder whose primary symptom or root cause is the failure of the pulsations and natural body rhythms to move blood and cerebral spinal fluid through the brain?