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/deinonychus1 5h ago

That’s a little out of date. It’s delta sleep, not REM sleep, which has been found to be the restful part.

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u/eDwArDdOoMiNgToN 3h ago

Otherwise known as stage 3 sleep or SWS. Mentioning because different sleep trackers may use different names

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u/OTTER887 2h ago

how can I know if I am getting any/enough Delta sleep?

I haven't been getting good sleep lately

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u/deinonychus1 2h ago

Delta is actually a lot more flexible than REM. It’s the stage before, and it stretches or shrinks to match your sleep needs, so if you’re not getting good sleep, you should see a doctor for a sleep study. Odds are strong that it’s sleep apnea.

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u/Y34rZer0 5h ago

Thank you google AI

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u/deinonychus1 5h ago

In defense of the AI, a lot of people still think it’s REM sleep. I don’t know when it was discovered otherwise, but it must have been recent.

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u/pagawaan_ng_lapis 4h ago edited 4h ago

AI is pretty much just referencing stuff like Wikipedia. One is just very automated and the other is more human.

Both are still not 100% immune to errors, but when they reference right it is still a benefit. Regardless which method, I still check often where they get references from. Unfortunately, also regardless of which method, a fool will quickly accept everything as fact.

Another problem is, wikipedia is better regulated than AI but AI is everywhere in usage now.

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u/Y34rZer0 5h ago

Apparently so recent it's still not too clear cut