Q: Does my brain shut off when I am sleeping?

Answer:

No, it’s actually the complete opposite. While the rest of your body enters a relaxed state during sleep-your breathing slows, eyes close, muscles slacken-your brain stays active. Just like when you’re awake, your brain is keeping a close watch on the rest of your body like breathing, heart rate, body temperature, cell and muscle repair, blood pressure and energy use.

But aside from what you can see or feel, there’s a lot more going on. Every day scientists are learning new details of what goes on with the human brain, either asleep or awake. So far, they think the brain processes everything that happened to you during the day, sorts out tidbits of information into your memory, creates stories through dreams, recharges to get you ready for the next day, and for kids, sends out chemicals to your body to keep it growing, all while you’re asleep.

For all the mysteries within the brain and sleeping, scientists do know some things for a fact. If you don’t get enough sleep for one night, you might feel tired and cranky the next day, but if you lose sleep over a long period of time, there are more dangerous consequences. You become unable to think clearly or pay attention, your body’s ability to fight diseases decreases and your overall growth actually slows down.

So next time you hear “It’s time for bed,” take it to heart... and your brain.

Tadeusz F. Poplawski, M.D.

Tadeusz F. Poplawski Child & Adult Neurology and Durham Regional Hospital

Activity:

Look in today’s Healthy Living section in The Herald-Sun and find the article on E3 titled Your Personal Trainer – Exercise Benefits Body and Mind. Read the article and you will be amazed to learn how much exercise can increase your mental sharpness and academic proficiency. Take a survey of your classmates and make a chart logging when your classmates go to bed and when your classmates wake up during the school week. Are the times different on the weekends?