A Reboot Switch in Your Brain Triggered by Sleep

So according to this article on Earth.com , our brain has this little "reboot switch" that comes in handy when we sleep. Apparently, it's like that moment when your phone starts lagging, and you know it’s time to restart before it gets stuck on the “Loading…” screen of life. But instead of missing an important call because your phone froze, we’re missing new memories because, well, our brain is just too full. Too. Full. That’s right, our brain in its wondrous glory also runs out of space like an old iPhone trying to download a new app.

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^{Image by 愚木混株 Cdd20 from Pixabay}

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The article explained that while we sleep, this magical switch helps clear out all the excess clutter in our brain to make space for the new stuff. You know, like clearing your browser history before handing your phone to someone. "Nope, no weird searches here, officer!" But here's something you need to know, this reset happens during a specific phase of sleep called non-REM sleep, REM means rapid eye movement. I’d always thought the only time my brain was busy at night was when I was dreaming. But no! My brain is also sweeping the floors, tossing out the mental junk mail, and creating space for tomorrow’s you know, drama, sort of.

I don’t know about you, but I found this pretty amazing. Apparently, our brain plays the role of an overworked janitor during non-REM sleep, vacuuming up all the unnecessary details of our day, like that random conversation you had with the grocery store cashier about some funny cat videos (because, yeah, that was totally going to stick around).

This explains so much! Look at it this way, you know those times when you can’t remember what you had for lunch yesterday, but you vividly remember a random embarrassing moment from high school? That’s because your brain’s like, “Nope, gotta delete something to make room for this new memory of tripping in front of your crush 15 years ago. That’ll definitely stick around forever!”

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^{Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay}

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Suddenly, I’m having an existential crisis about all the things my brain might be trashing at night. Is it the recipe I spent an hour memorizing, or maybe the new girl’s name at work (because for some reason, my brain remembers Lizzy when it’s actually ‘Sandra’)? But no, what really stays? All the lyrics to that one annoying song from my childhood that refuses to go away. Thanks, brain.

The article goes on to mention that this "memory reboot" might help us stay sharp as we age. And of course, it all circles back to sleep. The article basically confirmed what we’ve all been trying to avoid sleep is important. It’s not just about getting beauty rest (although, let’s be honest, we could all use a bit of that). It's about making sure our brains don’t turn into overstuffed filing cabinets that creak under the weight of useless information, like the plot to every episode of a random reality show I binge watched two years ago, yeah "Big Brother Naija" imagine your brain filing that for a moment without trashing out any episodes.

So, what's the moral of the story? Your brain needs sleep to clear out space and keep you functioning like a well oiled machine. Maybe tonight I’ll actually hit the pillow on time, knowing that my brain is doing the overnight shift to clean up my mind . After all, if there’s anything I’ve learned from this article, it’s that my brain’s nightly reboot is the difference between waking up refreshed or waking up and trying to remember what day it is.

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^{Image by Tumisu from Pixabay}

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So the very next time I forget someone’s name mid conversation, I’ll just say, “Oh, sorry, my brain was rebooting last night, must’ve cleared some space.” Perfect excuse, right? No its not actually, but still better than nothing. Yeah, So here is hoping it doesn’t delete my pin number this time! Fingers crossed 🤞

Thanks for reading, Sayonara 👋

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Resources Consulted

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• https://www.earth.com/news/reboot-switch-in-brain-activates-as-you-sleep-to-make-room-for-new-memories-barr/
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/08/240815163626.htm
• https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-reboots-the-brain-making-room-for-new-memories/
• https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sleep-resets-neurons-to-help-brain-take-on-new-memories
• https://www.genengnews.com/topics/translational-medicine/memory-in-rodents-resets-during-sleep-when-hippocampal-neurons-go-silent/
• https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/23/sleep-resets-brain-connections-crucial-for-memory-and-learning-study-reveals