What Happens in Your Brain During Sleep?
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Our brains are complex and sophisticated.They contain billions of neurons and are not fully formed until they reach 25 years old (opens in new tab)and can generate around 25 watts of power (opens in new tab) — Enough to light a light bulb.
Scientists are constantly learning new information. brain It works, but what do we know about how this incredible organ works during sleep? do you have?
For one thing, we know it matters. “Every animal on this planet that we’ve carefully observed has been shown to sleep, even fruit flies, roundworms and jellyfish,” said Dr. David Leisen, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Pennsylvania in Live Science. “So sleep must be playing a very important function. evolution.”
“This is especially notable because sleep has a cost,” Raizen added. “Animals are vulnerable to predation in their sleep and are not productive. They do not forage for food or reproduce.”
Related: Why can’t we remember our dreams?
According to research (opens in new tab) We spend one-third of our lives sleeping or trying to sleep. That is, if you live to age 76 (2021 U.S. life expectancy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in new tab)), probably spend about 25 years of their lives sleeping.
If you don’t sleep well or sleep often enough, you’re “impaired,” Raizen said, noting that even one night of sleep disruption can reveal a person’s ability to think and act effectively. I added that it is possible.
“The brain is likely the primary organ affected by sleep deprivation in humans,” Raizen said, because the greatest disturbance of sleep deprivation is experienced in the brain. “Therefore, sleep must be very important for healthy brain function.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): (opens in new tab), “There are two basic types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep.” They are both associated with specific types of brain waves and specific neural activity. NREM sleep occurs when you transition from wakefulness to sleep. At this time, the brain waves slow down. At the same time, muscles begin to relax and breathing becomes slower than during the day.
In REM sleep, on the other hand, EEG activity occurs at a level very similar to that in the wakeful state. According to research (opens in new tab) REM sleep accounts for 20% to 25% of our sleep time and tends to make our dreams the strangest and most implausible.
During REM sleep, when dreams are most active, the thalamus (the large mass of gray matter in the middle of the brain) sends “the images, sounds, and other sensations that fill our dreams.” According to NINDS (opens in new tab).
A chemical that spikes during waking hours, the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is also strong during REM sleep. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine (opens in new tab)When you’re awake, acetylcholine seems to help your brain keep collecting information, and it may help you remember this information during sleep. This will help you remember important facts the next day.
When we fall asleep, our brain experiences brain wave patterns known as “spinal spindles.” According to the Sleep Foundation, this isn’t fully understood, but is believed to “play a role in learning and consolidating new memories.” The vertebral spindle may play a role in maintaining sleep even when the brain encounters external stimuli.
during sleep, wash the brain A 2019 study in the journal that is itself a juicy mixture of cerebrospinal fluid and blood chemistry (opens in new tab) found. Understanding the nature of this wash cycle provides new insights into age-related functional impairments and a range of neurological and psychological disorders frequently associated with disrupted sleep patterns, such as autism and sleep disorders. It may help clarify information. Alzheimer’s diseasesaid the researchers statement (opens in new tab).
Related: Why do we take big breaths when we sleep?
Our brains stay alive whether we’re asleep or awake, but according to Raizen, there are certain things our brains like after we’ve drifted off.
“There are several brain processes that have been observed to occur preferentially during sleep,” Raizen said. “These include human growth hormone secretion, waste metabolite clearance [that build up during waking hours],change metabolism, changes in the strength of communication between brain cells (neurons). ”
2017 studies published in journals natural medicine (opens in new tab) “Lack of sleep confuses the brain” cellThe ability to communicate with each other,” he said, “leads to temporary mental loss that affects memory and vision.” statement (opens in new tab)The lead author of the study, Dr. Itzhak Fried, is a professor and director of the Epilepsy Surgery Program at the University of California, Los Angeles. says.
is the point supported by NINDS (opens in new tab)“Quality sleep is as essential to survival as food and water. It becomes difficult to respond quickly.”
lack of sleep and Certain adverse health effects (opens in new tab) — Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression, just to name a few — Raizen said the nature of the relationship remains a mystery and draws definitive conclusions based on currently available data said it was not wise to
NINDS (opens in new tab) “Quality sleep is as essential to survival as food and water. It becomes difficult to respond to
lack of sleep and Certain adverse health effects (opens in new tab) — Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression, just to name a few — Raizen said the nature of the relationship remains a mystery and draws definitive conclusions based on currently available data said it was not wise to
“Many sleep deprivation or sleep-related deterioration has been observed, but it is difficult to know whether sleep deprivation is causing these problems…inversely.”
However, not all sleep is the same and health effects vary. As such, various studies have revealed that sleep plays a very important role in maintaining human health and is essential for proper brain function. There are still many unresolved questions about
“Besides the big questions about why we sleep, there are many mysteries about how we sleep,” Raizen said. “What brain centers are involved in the initiation, maintenance and termination of sleep? What brain chemicals are involved in this? How does the brain switch from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to non-REM sleep? ?”
Raizen said the only way to solve these puzzles is for scientists to do more research.
Originally published in Live Science.
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