To rest is to remove.

Inside our bodies, the central nervous system coordinates the variety of metabolic processes we undertake every day. These processes naturally leave behind waste products, which accumulate in the brain.

Studies suggest that sleep is the body’s main opportunity to clear away these potentially toxic byproducts, flushing waste from the brain at a much faster rate than when we are awake.

This process of removal during sleep makes room for our brains to keep running the show.