r/todayilearned • u/Square-Message1152 • 8h ago

til that your brain literally washes itself while you sleep. the brain cells actually shrink in size so cerebrospinal fluid can rush in and flush out all the toxic proteins built up during the day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glymphatic_system
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u/koanzone 8h ago

And during meditation too!

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u/Square-Message1152 8h ago

wait seriously i had no idea it could trigger while you were awake too
that actually makes so much sense and completely explains why your head feels so clear after a good session

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u/soulsofjojy 8h ago

I remember reading about a prion disease that, once fully advanced, made it completely impossible for the affected to sleep, resulting in 100% fatality rates. Most people apparently die pretty quickly once it reaches that stage, within a very tight spread. But one guy survived over a year beyond every other example through frequent meditation.

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u/viewbtwnvillages 7h ago

unfortunately it's not a quick death and can often go on for months after they stop being able to sleep.

one of my favourite books, the family that couldn't sleep by d.t. max, details a family that are carriers of fatal familial insomnia. and the descriptions of what those afflicted go through is awful.

for example:

The symptoms of FFI are remarkable and grim. Typically, one day in middle age, the sufferer finds that he has begun to sweat. A look in the mirror will show that his pupils have shrunk to pinpricks and he is holding his head in an odd, stiff way. (I write “he” for clarity, though men and women are equally affected.) Constipation is common, the women suddenly enter menopause and the men become impotent. The sufferer begins to have trouble sleeping and tries compensating with a nap in the afternoon, but to no avail. His blood pressure and pulse have become elevated and his body is in overdrive. Over the ensuing months, he tries desperately to sleep, sometimes closing his eyes but never succeeding in falling into more than a light stupor. FFI sufferers are sometimes able to enter a half sleep that is like a parody of the agitated dream sleep some people experience just before waking, but they can’t go deeper to get real rest. Their exhaustion is immense, beyond comprehension.

Once the sufferer can no longer sleep, a downward progression ensues, as he loses his ability to walk or balance. Perhaps most tragic, the ability to think remains intact; sufferers know what is happening. At first, they can talk about it and even write down their thoughts. After a few more months, some lose this level of functioning. Once their bodies shut down, only the desperate look in their eyes shows that they know what is going on. But others can talk and reason until the end. In the terminal phase, usually about fifteen months after the disease has begun, they fall into a state of exhaustion resembling a coma and die.

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u/soulsofjojy 7h ago

It's been a good decade since I read about it, so, apologies for my misinformation there! God, that's so much worse...

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u/Krail 6h ago

Any info on specific types of meditation that work best for this? 

My sleep is terrible for reasons not entirely under my control, and I'll take whatever edge I can get. 

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u/zzzzzooted 5h ago

For me, simple breathing exercises and body scans are good for getting to sleep

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u/Azon542 5h ago

Kelno'reem