During the day, your neural activity produces by-products that accumulate in your brain. This waste, some of which is responsible for Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders, is cleared away mostly during sleep, through the brain’s “glymphatic system.” The plumbing network flushes waste out of the brain and into the bloodstream to be filtered out in the liver. Just one more great reason to get your zzz’s.

READ MORE: Sleep, Learning and Memory