Sleeping Pills May Weaken Brain’s Natural Cleaning System, Mouse Study Suggests
A new mouse study has raised fresh concerns about the effects of popular sleep aids, such as zolpidem (commonly sold as Ambien), on the brain’s natural cleaning process during sleep.
While many people rely on sleep medications to combat insomnia — an issue affecting nearly a third of U.S. adults and the vast majority of teenagers — researchers are discovering that these drugs might interfere with some of sleep’s most essential functions.
The study, published in Cell on February 6, found that although zolpidem helped mice fall asleep more quickly and deeply, it significantly reduced the rhythmic brain pulses responsible for flushing out waste through cerebrospinal fluid. This process, sometimes compared to running a dishwasher overnight, helps clear harmful proteins like those linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen, emphasized that the brain’s “housekeeping” role has long been overlooked. “Sleep is not just for rest — it’s a time for internal cleanup, too,” she said.
Despite falling asleep efficiently, mice on zolpidem showed diminished cleaning activity. The implications for humans are still unknown, but the results underscore the potential trade-offs of chemically induced sleep.
Zolpidem affects GABA, a neurotransmitter that quiets brain activity. According to MIT sleep scientist Dr. Robert Stickgold, the drug doesn’t address the root causes of sleeplessness. “It’s like being hit in the head with a hammer to fall asleep,” he said.
While these medications can be beneficial for short-term use, long-term reliance could come with side effects that we are only beginning to understand. Nedergaard noted the need for better sleep aids that promote natural brain rhythms instead of suppressing them.
Interestingly, researchers are also pushing boundaries on what a sleeping brain can do — from targeted dreaming to skill improvement. However, forcing the brain to perform specific tasks during rest may come at the cost of other essential processes.
Ultimately, scientists acknowledge that sleep remains one of biology’s biggest enigmas. As Stickgold put it, “We shouldn’t expect one single reason for sleep. It likely does many things — all of which are vital to our health.”