SLEEP CLEARS TOXIC THOUGHT FROM THE MIND (if you're a fly)
deep sleep can help to detoxify your brain, so long as it is accompanied by repeated back-and-forth movements of your nose every 3 seconds. and you need to be a fruit fly.
original article: van Alphen et al., 2021 (Science Advances), reported in: The Daily Mail by Shivali Best on 21st January 2021 image source
this story was in episode 2 #fly #snout #sleep #toxins #proboscis
the error bar says
the Daily Mail informs us that a good night's sleep helps to clear your mind from toxic proteins. they helpfully point out that the NHS recommends 6 to 9 hours' sleep a night.
the study found that deep sleep is associated with decreased brain activity, high arousal, rhythmic movement and the removal of toxic waste. the study authors from northwestern university, illinois proposed that waste clearance is an ancient function of deep sleep
does a good night's sleep clear the mind?
yes. if you're a fly.
and that's the only problem with this story - that it's about fruit flies, and the way they clear their brain of toxins is by repeatedly pumping their proboscis back and forth every 3 seconds, which moves the waste along their guts and out onto the bedsheets.
just like humans, the flies were harder to wake up during their deep sleep, and they could be drugged into getting to sleep quicker, but that's where the similarities end.
