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Though scientists have long been baffled by the need for sleep – Thomas Edison even once called it “a criminal waste of time” – there is a new reason to sleep in.
A U.S. research team has found that sleep provides vital time for the brain to remove waste products that are byproducts of daytime activity. In mice testing, the brain removed waste products at a 10-fold increase during times of rest compared to times of activity.
Without sleep, toxic byproducts, such as certain proteins, can build up and produce undesirable mental problems such as Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
– Keegan Federal, The Federal Firm