Ever feel like you're sleepwalking through your days? Well, maybe you are. According to new research in the journal Nature, just because your eyes are open, doesn't mean you're truly awake or that your brain is functioning properly.
When we’re really sleep deprived, so goes the theory, parts of our brains actually shut down temporarily. We may still be able to go about our daily business of cooking, cleaning, driving the kids to and from school, but behind the scenes some of our neurons are power napping.
Researchers in the study kept rats - whose sleep-wake cycles are very similar to humans - awake for longer periods of time while electrodes in their brains and EEG machines measured their overall brain activity.
The rats looked fully awake, but their brain waves told another story. Segments of neurons registered the slower currents of activity typical in deep sleep. The longer the rats stayed up, the more brain cells entered "sleep mode".
We tend to think of our brains as having an ON/OFF switch. We are either soundly asleep or fully awake. Now we know the reality is not so cut and dry. During the sleep-deprived haze experienced when you welcome home a newborn baby, you tend to forget things. Everything goes in slow motion. We call the phenomenon 'mommy brain' and accept that it will pass, eventually.
But sleep deprivation can chronically impair our ability to function. It may be a symptom of modern times and an unavoidable part of parenthood, yet we ought to do more to safeguard our precious sleep.
Contrary to popular belief, most of us can't truly thrive on fewer than six hours' sleep each night. When infants repeatedly lack their quota of sleep, their physical and mental development is affected.
Tips for more z's include minimizing consumption of alcohol and caffeine, as well as switching off all screens at least an hour before "lights out". What are your top tips for a sound night's sleep?
Image Credit: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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