The video concerns the connection between sleep, the brain, and waste disposal. The body’s biological system processes create the problem of waste disposal. A constant supply of nutrients is crucial for all body parts to function. The brain comprises only 2% of the body’s mass but consumes 25% of its energy supply (Iliff). The circulatory system helps the brain to meet this energy demand through constant nutritional supply. All cells release waste after various activities and have the lymphatic system to aid in waste disposal. However, the brain has its system, which only works when a person is asleep. The brain cells shrink and allow waste to pass through the brain and into the circulatory system. Accumulation of waste in the brain may lead to Alzheimer’s disease, making it essential to get a good night’s sleep.
I was amazed at how sleep helps the brain to get rid of its waste. The lymphatic system that works in the rest of the body does not apply to the brain. This observation is outstanding because the brain is highly active, and one would expect it to have a waste management system like the rest of the body; at least, that was what I thought. Instead, the brain has the cerebral spinal fluid surrounding it and providing passage of wastes from the brain to the blood. The brain has a particular plumbing network to facilitate waste disposal because it is confined in a rigid space and cannot accommodate more vessels like the lymphatic system. This information helped me to gain a new perspective on sleep. The more I deny myself sleep, the more waste accumulates in my brain, and I do not want that. At the end of the video, I was more committed to getting a good night’s sleep.
Works Cited
Iliff, Jeff. “One More Reason to Get a Good Night’s Sleep.” TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, 2014, Web.