Science Says You Should Sleep in This Weekend (You're Welcome!)

Apparently extra zzz's make a lot of difference.

While you may get a break from the day's grind while sleeping, your brain is actually incredibly busy. A new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that the brain's waste removal system is highly active during a snooze session, thanks in large part to cell shrinkage. To put that in English: When you sleep, cells in your brain get much smaller, allowing it to more effectively cleanse itself of toxins that can easily accumulate. Sounds exhausting, right?

You see, the brain isn't an excellent mutli-tasker when it comes to cleaning. (But hey, neither are we!) "The brain only has limited energy at its disposal and it appears that it must choose between two different functional states—awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up," says Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc., co-director of the University of Rochester Medical Center. So missing out on much-needed rest doesn't give it a chance to tidy up.

We know it's tough to get in extra zzz's during the school week, so make sure you sleep in when you can on the weekends. Your clean, happy brain will thank you later when you're toxin-free!

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