A pre-clinical study suggests how we sleep, especially if it’s in a lateral position (also known as side-sleeping), can help flush out waste in the brain as we sleep.

Researchers from Australia specifically wanted to know how the glymphatic system, a network of vessels that helps remove waste in the brain, could prevent neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common motor neuron disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

If you don’t get enough sleep or don’t sleep at all, the brain cells known as neurons take up large amounts of energy.

“The glymphatic system uses cerebral spinal fluid to flush neural waste products from the brain,” she said.

Even though experts are still learning about the role of the glymphatic system in neural functioning, there are small lifestyle changes that can improve brain waste clearance and minimize the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases.

Some mice were genetically modified to express the human protein connected to ALS, a protein called TDP-43

They found that over time the genetically modified mice displayed classical signs of ALS, including gradual muscle impairments and brain atrophy, a loss of neurons. 

In addition, by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the researchers found the genetically modified mice had a harder time clearing waste from the brain compared to the control mice.