Sleep Deprivation & Brain Health: Is Your Brain Really Eating Itself?

Your brain doesn't shut down when you sleep: it gets to work.

While you rest, especially when you're getting the recommended eight hours, your brain's glymphatic system flushes out toxins, waste, and harmful proteins like β-amyloid and tau (which are linked to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders). Think of it as your brain's nightly deep clean.

But when you suffer from a chronic lack of sleep, that cleaning system slows down. Over time, waste can build up in brain cells and cause damage.

In 2017, a research team led by Dr. Michele Bellesi looked at the brains of chronically sleep-deprived mice. What they found made headlines: Brain support cells called astrocytes started breaking down healthy brain connections, not just damaged ones. Microglia ( also known as glial cells, the brain's immune cells) also went into overdrive, which is a sign of inflammation and potential long-term damage.

Basically, the brain's housekeeping system wasn't just cleaning, it was over-cleaning due to chronic sleep deprivation, stripping away essential parts. This triggered many of the "Does the brain eat itself from lack of sleep?" questions and articles.

Study: Bellesi M. et al., 2017 – The Journal of Neuroscience

What About People, Not Mice?

Good question. While mice aren't humans, a significant amount of research by scientists suggests similar outcomes in the human brain when people fail to get enough sleep:

• A previous study from 2013 found that sleep helps clear β-amyloid from the brain (proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease). Poor sleep allows buildup.
• Researchers published a 2020 study in the journal Neurology showing that just one night without sleep can raise tau protein levels—a key Alzheimer's risk marker.
• A massive 25-year study published by the NIH found that sleeping fewer than 6 hours per night in midlife was linked to a 30% higher risk of dementia.
• Previous studies using brain scans observed that chronic poor sleep is linked to shrinkage in memory-related neurons.

So no, your brain doesn't literally “eat itself.” However, sleepless nights and chronic sleep loss can trigger damage, inflammation, and long-term risks that should not be ignored.

The good news? Some of the effects may be reversible, especially if you improve your sleep before long-term damage sets in.

The brain has amazing plasticity. When you give it what it needs (rest, oxygen, blood flow), it can start repairing and resetting previous harm.

But you must get serious about prioritizing quality sleep.

For many people, sleep quality is wrecked by something they don't even know they have: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or heavy snoring. This causes your airway to repeatedly collapse during sleep, robbing your brain of oxygen and waking you up over and over again, even if you don't remember it or feel like you were awake.

The First Step is Getting Tested

If you're tired all the time, find yourself getting up to pee multiple times a night, snore loudly, or your partner says you gasp or choke in your sleep, it's time to investigate the cause and get tested.

Traditionally, this meant visiting a sleep lab for in-person testing. Although effective in identifying all types of sleep disorders and neurological disorders, sleep labs tend to have long waiting lists and can cost quite a bit. And of course, spending a night away from home asleep in a sleep lab is no one's idea of a good time.

Fortunately, over the last decade, at-home sleep tests have made significant advancements and are highly effective in diagnosing clinical sleep apnea. And Daybreak provides one of the most convenient & affordable sleep tests available anywhere.

Treat Your Sleep Apnea and Heal Your Brain

The good news is that if you've been diagnosed with sleep apnea, there are multiple highly effective treatments available today. CPAP is the most commonly prescribed and used treatment, and in theory, it can effectively treat almost any case of sleep apnea. In practice, however, not everyone is willing or able to consistently wear their CPAP. Luckily, many CPAP alternatives exist, like Daybreak.

A CPAP Alternative: The DayBreak™ Device

The DayBreak™ mandibular advancement device (MAD) is a small, FDA-cleared oral appliance that gently shifts your jaw forward to help keep your airway open while you sleep, thereby reducing and sometimes eliminating the airway collapses that define obstructive sleep apnea.

Why DayBreak™ could help:

• FDA-cleared for OSA and snoring
• Mask-free, quiet, and portable
• Helps restore more natural, deep sleep, which your brain needs to stay sharp

While the brain does not actually "eat" itself, it is clear that sleep deprivation is damaging to the brain's synaptic connections and can potentially accelerate neurodegenerative diseases. Start taking steps today and start making a positive difference:

• Get 7–9 hours of sleep every night (yes, every night)
• Stick to a consistent bedtime and wake time
• Cut out caffeine after 2 p.m., and reduce screen time at night
• Exercise regularly: it helps your body sleep naturally
• Get screened for snoring or sleep apnea if your sleep feels unrefreshing