Why does my attention suffer after a bad night's sleep, according to the MIT study?

The MIT study suggests your brain may briefly shift into a sleep-like cleaning mode, moving fluid and temporarily impacting attention.

What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and how is it involved in brain cleaning?

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) helps wash away waste that builds up in the brain, a process that normally occurs during deep sleep.

Can a lack of sleep affect more than just my brain, as suggested by the research?

Yes, the study indicates that these attention lapses tied to brain fluid movement are body-wide events, suggesting broader coordination.

Home / Science / Sleepless Brain Cleans Itself While Awake

Sleepless Brain Cleans Itself While Awake

21 Jan

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Summary

Poor sleep causes brain fluid to clean awake without consent.
Brain cleaning involves fluid movement affecting attention.
This body-wide event suggests coordination between brain and body.

New research from MIT suggests that lapses in attention following a poor night's sleep are due to the brain briefly entering a cleaning mode typically reserved for deep sleep.

This cleaning process involves the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which helps flush waste products from the brain. The study found that when individuals are sleep-deprived, these CSF waves can intrude into waking consciousness.

During these moments of fluid expulsion, attention falters. Once attention recovers, the fluid flows back into the brain. Researchers observed this pattern in 26 volunteers using fMRI scans after both sleep-deprived and well-rested nights.

This attention deficit is linked to a body-wide event, indicating a strong coordination between the brain and the rest of the body during these sleep-deprived periods.