You Need Sleep to Heal the Brain
I wrote a comment on Hacker News about how the lymphatic system works. Well, it's about how fluids circulate in the body. It's not "just" the lymphatic system: The Comment.
You should read that and there also follow-up links and such in that discussion.
TLDR for what you MOST need to know about sleep and healing brain issues:
The lymphatic system is how the body takes out the trash and the brain clears lymph during sleep via a SEPARATE process known as the glymphatic system. So if you are treating brain stuff, people NEED their SLEEP to heal the brain.
When healing -- especially healing the brain -- people can go through periods where they need a LOT of sleep and may DROOL badly during sleep while clearing infection and other issues. (Tip: Put a towel on the pillow and WASH it daily if someone is drooling in their sleep and/or eventually throw out what is getting drooled on.)
Initial treatment of basic issues -- killing infection, improving nutritional status, clearing out drugs -- will likely foster episodes of deep sleep. When that no longer proves to be ENOUGH, you need exercise.
American health organizations say you need about 30 minutes of exercise per day. A brisk walk is sufficient for clearing lymph and you don't have to walk more than ten minutes at a time. You should shoot for a walk of at least ten minutes, but you CAN walk ten minutes three times a day if you are in rough shape and just can't sustain it.
If you are really, really in rough shape, do what you can. Count your successes, track your progress. I was bedridden for 3.5 months at one point and I used to joke about my "get out bed more often fitness plan."
Watermelon is excellent hydration AND the best kidney support I know of, which will help clear drugs and other stuff from the system. If that is NOT ENOUGH, milk thistle can support the liver so it filters wastes from the blood more effectively. The liver and kidneys work together to clean things up.
You should read that and there also follow-up links and such in that discussion.
TLDR for what you MOST need to know about sleep and healing brain issues:
The lymphatic system is how the body takes out the trash and the brain clears lymph during sleep via a SEPARATE process known as the glymphatic system. So if you are treating brain stuff, people NEED their SLEEP to heal the brain.
When healing -- especially healing the brain -- people can go through periods where they need a LOT of sleep and may DROOL badly during sleep while clearing infection and other issues. (Tip: Put a towel on the pillow and WASH it daily if someone is drooling in their sleep and/or eventually throw out what is getting drooled on.)
Initial treatment of basic issues -- killing infection, improving nutritional status, clearing out drugs -- will likely foster episodes of deep sleep. When that no longer proves to be ENOUGH, you need exercise.
American health organizations say you need about 30 minutes of exercise per day. A brisk walk is sufficient for clearing lymph and you don't have to walk more than ten minutes at a time. You should shoot for a walk of at least ten minutes, but you CAN walk ten minutes three times a day if you are in rough shape and just can't sustain it.
If you are really, really in rough shape, do what you can. Count your successes, track your progress. I was bedridden for 3.5 months at one point and I used to joke about my "get out bed more often fitness plan."
Watermelon is excellent hydration AND the best kidney support I know of, which will help clear drugs and other stuff from the system. If that is NOT ENOUGH, milk thistle can support the liver so it filters wastes from the blood more effectively. The liver and kidneys work together to clean things up.
