by Jordan Pennells – Originally posted on LIFEApps.

Another piece of the puzzle explaining sleep’s effect on our mental health and brain functioning has been uncovered in new research published this week in the journal Science!  

In an ironic case of self-sacrifice, Laura Lewis and her team at Boston University spent many late nights in the lab analyzing the brains of sleeping research participants. Their aim was to uncover the role of sleep in the detoxification of the brain. Knowing whether and how sleep helps detoxify the brain is key to cracking the elusive scientific question of why we need sleep.

The research team’s sleep-deprived nights provided data that reveals a previously unconfirmed link between brain activity during sleep and the activity of cerebrospinal fluid, which helps to clear metabolic junk from the brain.

It’s well established that sleep quantity and quality has a major impact on…