![]() ![]() The next day we are irritable, have trouble keeping our eyes open, and are terrible at tasks that demand sustained attention. Most of us have pulled all-nighters or have wanted to sleep but could not, unable to switch off our mind. It is essential for our brain to function properly. For scientists, it is this triad of simultaneous measurements that operationally defines the state of sleep, leading to both surprising and counterintuitive insights.Įven without these tools, there are some basic things we do know about sleep. ![]() Still, much progress in characterizing the physiology and capabilities of the sleeping brain has occurred over the past century, driven by the ability to record electrical activity of the brain (via electroencephalography, or EEG, on the surface of the skull), of the eyes (via electrooculography, or EOG), and of facial or other muscles (via electromyography, or EMG). Why sleep should be such a prominent feature of daily life across the animal kingdom, despite the fact that it leaves the sleeper unable to confront potential threats, remains mysterious. ![]() This reduced sensitivity to external events distinguishes sleep from quiet resting, whereas the capacity to awaken from slumber distinguishes sleep from coma. That is, they show daily periods of relative immobility and lack of response to external stimuli, such as light, sound or touch. Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher, 1960įlies, birds, mice, dogs, monkeys and people all need to sleep. In the morning we must sweep out the shadows.” Sleep opens within us an inn for phantoms. “The repose of the night does not belong to us. ![]()
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