Brain Goes Into High Gear When We Are Sleeping

RedTracker| When human sleep, it seems logical that our brains are resting, too. Quite the opposite. In the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions that are active during waking hours. Scientists believe that our brains go into high gear with the onset of sleep, in some kind of replenishing function.

“This research provides intriguing evidence that a sleep-dependent energy surge is needed to facilitate the restorative biosynthetic processes,” said Robert Greene, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas Southwestern, a sleep expert who was unaffiliated with the study. He observed that questions arise from the findings, such as the specific cause of the ATP surge. “The authors propose that the surge is related to decreases in brain cell activity during sleep, but it may be due to many other factors as well, including cellular signaling in the brain,” he said. via Science Daily