I just finished listening to the latest Anthony Peake episode yesterday, which was fantastic. At the end of the interview Carlwood and Peake were considering why sleep is vital to our survival and also the function of glial cells. Just last night, Science Alert happened to post this article on Facebook which discusses exactly what they were talking about. Basically what the authors say is that in normal sleep conditions, our glial cells function to remove toxic waste and other unuseful materials from our brains that have been building up. If we don't get enough sleep, it could be that our glial cells indiscriminately destroy our brain stuff and can even remove cells that have been critical components of our functioning for years.
Here's a link.
http://www.sciencealert.com/the-brain-literally-starts-eating-itself-when-it-doesn-t-get-enough-sleep
