However, the scale of sleep loss is so severe that World Health Organization (WHO) has now declared a sleep loss epidemic in first-world nations. Sleep Deprivation in both quantity and quality is known to be associated with an increased risk of Stroke, Heart Attack, Depression, Anxiety, & Cognitive Decline including Dementia.

Dr. Maiken Nedergaard and her colleagues at the University of Rochester Medical Center recently discovered a system that drains waste products from the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid, a clear liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, moves through the brain along a series of channels that surround blood vessels. The system is managed by the brain’s glial cells, and so the researchers called it the glymphatic system. (These systems are facilitated by CranioSacral Therapy and Lymphatic Drainage Technique, both provided at Apex) They believe that this process is one of the reasons sleep is so important to our overall health and wellness, this process cleans and restores the Cerebrospinal fluid which allows for the brain to do many functions of healing while you sleep.

This drainage/restorative process helps your brain:

• Organize new information
• Clears out harmful toxins
• Solidifies your memories
• Regulates your appetite
• Keeps thought processes more efficient
• Lead to more creative thinking