Do you know that some sleeping position you adopt may affect the risk of you developing diseases such as Alzheimer's, new research suggests.
Those who sleep on their side, as opposed to on their back or front, appear able to clear our more of the day's chemical clutter from their brain while they rest.
Researchers say that given that many more humans and animals sleep on their side, this could be an evolutionary way to try and protect the brain from disease.
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It has already been established that while we sleep, the brain is hard at work removing toxins produced during our waking hours.
Left to build up, these compounds can result in Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
Previous research from the University of Rochester in New York found that unlike the rest of the body, which depends on the lymphatic system to drain away toxins, the brain has its own separate method of rubbish removal.
In fact the researchers concluded the clean-up process is so energy intensive, it would hinder our thinking if done when we are awake - hence the need to sleep.
‘The brain only has limited energy at its disposal and it appears that it must choice between two different functional states - awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up,’ said Dr Maiken Nedergaard, who led that study.
You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can’t really do both at the same time.
Now, working with researchers at Stony Brook University, the team has moved these findings on - and say sleeping in a side position may more effectively remove this brain waste.
Therefore, sleeping in a side position was found to be 'an important practice to help reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological diseases'.
Indeed, these conditions have preciously been dubbed 'dirty brain diseases' - as they are linked to a build-up of toxins.
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