Not only to provide rest
It is well known that sleep is important for your body to recover from daily efforts. A lack of sleep can quickly have a negative impact on your feeling of well-being and your mood.
Less well known perhaps, is that sleep also has an important function in supporting your brains to detoxify. Neuroscientist Jeff Iliff has done some groundbreaking research in this field. In this presentation (2014), he explains how this system works.
The lymph system
The lymph system plays an important role in the disposal of waste from the body. All body cells get their nutrients supplied by the blood. They extract their energy, which also generates waste. This waste is excreted by the cells, and ends up in the space in-between the cells. Lymph fluid will then drain it via the lymph channels, into the blood. The blood will transport the waste further to e.g. the kidneys.
No lymph channels in the brain
In the brain area however, there are no lymph channels. Yet the brain is a high consumer of energy, and therefore also produces a relatively large amount of waste. This must be properly drained for the system to operate smoothly. This presentation explains clearly how that works, and why sleep is so important for you. Subtitles are available in various languages. Definitely worth the watch!
Aerotoxic Syndrome
Remember that an Aerotoxic Syndrome patient has to deal with larger amounts of toxic waste that was temporary stored in his fat tissues, a.o. the brain, because the body couldn’t get rid of them in time. These toxic substances are later on converted and excreted. The drain system as described by Jeff Iliff is then directly involved in draining these substances. As this system works properly only during sleep, it becomes understandable why you will often need lots of sleep while detoxifying.