How Is Your SLEEP Health?

Following up on last month's article, STANISLAS LAJUGIE shares details about our sleep patterns and what is needed to create a really healthy sleep routine.

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If you want to follow your dreams, go to sleep early

In the 1950s, after conducting experiments on rats that were later confirmed on humans, scientists discovered that we did not have a continuous and consistent pattern of brainwave activity during sleep. Instead, the brainwave patterns fluctuated between periods of higherfrequency waves, similar to wakeful brain activity, and periods of low-frequency waves, typical of deep sleep.

The sleep periods resembling wakeful states were characterized by rapid and irregular eye movements, and dreams. This type of sleep was called rapid eye movement or REM sleep. During the other periods, brain activity was slow and the body completely relaxed with no movement of the eyes. This state was called deep or NREM sleep.

During NREM sleep, the body repairs itself. Tissues regenerate, the immune system rejuvenates, and energy levels replenish. The brain consolidates memories and learning from the day, and expels neurotoxins.

Indeed, deep NREM sleep is the brain's cleanup phase. Brain activity and blood circulation decrease, permitting the glymphatic system (clears waste products and toxins from the brain) to facilitate the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) in the brain. During this phase, ISF volume increases by 60%, flushing the brain and eliminating waste.

Research reveals that the glymphatic system also aids memory consolidation, potentially explaining sleep's role in brain health. Prolonged sleep deprivation can impair this, allowing toxic waste buildup that contributes to cognitive decline and neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's.