New study: Sleep may activate brain's 'cleaning crew'

Why do we sleep? Some new research indicates that sleep may actually be what enables the brain’s cleaning crew to keep things chemically tidy in there. A Danish study, published this fall in the journal Science, has implications both for our daily mental well-being and possibly for longer-term concerns like dementia and Alzheimer’s.Current State’s Melissa Benmark spoke with Dr. Peter Todd. He’s an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. Todd says the scientific community has long debated what the major purpose of sleep really is.