Does Body Posture During Sleep Affect How the Brain Clears Waste?

By using dynamic MRI technology to study the brain’s glymphatic pathway — the system that clears waste and other harmful chemicals from the brain — researchers from Stony Brook University discovered that a lateral sleeping position is the best position to most efficiently remove waste from the brain. The method used by the researchers during the study enabled them to identify and define the glymphatic pathway, where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) filters through the brain and exchanges with interstitial fluid (ISF) to clear waste. “The analysis showed us consistently that glymphatic transport was most efficient in the lateral position when compared to the supine or prone positions,” said the study’s lead author. “Because of this finding, we propose that the body posture and sleep quality should be considered when standardizing future diagnostic imaging procedures to assess CSF-ISF transport in humans and therefore the assessment of the clearance of damaging brain proteins that may contribute to or cause brain diseases.” Interestingly, the lateral sleeping position is already the most popular in humans as well as with most animals, pointing researchers to the conclusion that we have adapted that position to most efficiently clear our brains of the metabolic waste products that built up while we were awake. To read more about this study, click here.