One More Reason to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Melissa Saykham
Human Biology 1090
Professor Randazzo
Given our body's natural inclinations, as well as reiterated advice by multiple
sources, it should now be universally understood that a full night's sleep is beneficial to our
bodies and minds, but just how impactful is a good night's sleep on our brains?
Jeff Iliff articulates an interesting and thought provoking perspective on what an
adequate night's sleep can provide for our brains. In his Ted Talks segment, Iliff speaks
about the restorative effect that sleep has on the mind and recalls the history of Galen, who
was noted as a very eminent figure of medical research in ancient times, and his proposed
theory of how the brain functioned while we were awake, as well as while we were sleeping.
Galen proposed that while we were awake, fluids from our brains would stream to other
organs and areas of the body, contributing to their functions, but leaving the brain drained.
Upon sleeping, Galen believed that the fluids that our brains had previously distributed to
the rest of our body would flow back to the brain to provide rehydration and restoration.
Given that Galen's theory was proposed many centuries ago, during a time where
information pertaining to sleep was still very limited, one could have found Galen's ideas to
be balderdash. However, Iliff suggests that Galen's idea was more logical than what some
may have thought during Galen's era.
Iliff points out how every organ must receive a continuous supply of nutrients to
nourish all the cells in the body, he explains how in the brain specifically, nourishment is
especially pivotal, as although the brain makes up only two percent of the body's mass, it
requires a quarter of the body's entire energy supply. To further exhibit the complex make
up of the brain, he shows a video of intricately located blood vessels in a living mouse's
brain. He explains how "just as every cell requires nutrients to fuel it, every cell also
produces waste as a byproduct, and the clearance of that waste is the second basic
problem that each organ has to solve", he follows this statement with an insight on how the
lymphatic system has evolved to accommodate this problem. He explains how the
lymphatic system cleans up proteins and other waste from crevices between cells and
transports them into the blood to be rid of. He also points out how the brain does not
actually have any lymphatic vessels, which poses the question of how the brain actually rids
itself of accrued waste.
Upon research, it was discovered that the brain contains a large supply of a clean,
clear fluid called cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid fills the space surrounding the
brain, where waste flows out and gets flushed away into the blood to be disposed of. The
waste does not seep into the cerebrospinal fluid on its own accord however, it is actually
provoked by a complicated network that organizes the process of cleaning up the brain's
waste. Iliff proceeds to show two examples of a living mouse's brain, one example shows
the mouse's brain while it is awake, while the other example exhibits the same mouse's
brain while it is asleep. In the example of the mouse while it is sleeping, the cerebrospinal
fluid is shown as being more proactive and productive in cleaning waste, as it moves from
the surface outside the brain, into the spaces inside the brain, flushing out waste from in
between the brain cells. Whereas in the example of the mouse's brain while it is awake, the

cerebrospinal fluid is shown as less lively in its movement throughout the brain, in an almost
idle state. Iliff also notes that it was also discovered that when the brain goes to sleep, the
brain cells appear to compress, which allows for more open space between them, so that
fluid can stream through and allow more waste to be cleaned.
Now, one may comprehend that getting rid of any waste is generally beneficial to the
individual entity or entities that is or are being cleaned, but how detrimental is the waste that
is being produced? Iliff explains that a lot of emphasis has been placed on researching the
waste product called amyloid-beta. Amyloid-beta is a protein that is naturally occurring in
the brain all the time. It has been suggested that buildup of amyloid-beta may be a key
contributor to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and when researching individuals
who suffered from poor sleep quality or duration, it was shown that a greater amount of
amyloid-beta had accumulated. It has been measured that when sleeping, amyloid-beta is
cleared from the brain much more quickly and efficiently, than when an individual is awake.
Taking into consideration the correlation between sleep, amyloid-beta, and
Alzheimer's disease, one might also think about what other factors of sleep deprivation or
inadequacy may contribute to the development of other diseases and conditions, and how
essential sleep really is to the overall well being of our bodies and minds not just in the
present, but in the future of disease prevention and overall healthy functioning.
In conclusion, after watching this segment, I know that more conscious thought and
effort will be placed towards acquiring an adequate night's sleep, as I will think about how
staying up and being temporarily entertained by a show or a video game will actually pale in
comparison to the significantly beneficial properties of a good night's sleep in the short and
long term.
Reference: Iliff, Jeff. "One More Reason To Get a Good Night's Sleep." Ted Talks. N.p.,
Sept. 2014. Web.