Sleep has been the subject of speculation and thought since the time of the early Greek philosophers, but only recently have researchers discovered ways to study sleep in a systematic and objective way. The advent of new technology such as the electroencephalograph (EEG) has allowed scientists to look at and measure electrical patterns and activity produced by the sleeping brain.
While we can now investigate sleep and related phenomena, not all researchers agree on exactly why we sleep. A number of different theories have been proposed to explain the necessity of sleep as well as the functions and purposes of sleep.
Your Body Will Send 7 Signals That Dementia Is Coming.
• Sleep
• Natural Sleep Patterns
• Sleep Apnea Study
• Insomnia Sleep Disorder …show more content…
In an October 2013 issue of the journal Science, researchers published the results of a study indicating that the brain utilizes sleep to flush out waste toxins.
This waste removal system, they suggest, is one of the major reasons why we sleep.
"The restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system," the study's authors explain.
Earlier research had uncovered the glymphatic system, which carries waste materials out of the brain. According to one of the study's authors, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, the brain's limited resources force it to choose between two different functional states: awake and alert or asleep and cleaning up. They also suggest that problems with cleaning out this brain waste might play a role in a number of brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
Evolutionary Theory of Sleep:
Evolutionary theory, also known as the adaptive theory of sleep, suggests that periods of activity and inactivity evolved as a means of conserving energy. According to this theory, all species have adapted to sleep during periods of time when wakefulness would be the most
While we can now investigate sleep and related phenomena, not all researchers agree on exactly why we sleep. A number of different theories have been proposed to explain the necessity of sleep as well as the functions and purposes of sleep.
Your Body Will Send 7 Signals That Dementia Is Coming.
• Sleep
• Natural Sleep Patterns
• Sleep Apnea Study
• Insomnia Sleep Disorder …show more content…
In an October 2013 issue of the journal Science, researchers published the results of a study indicating that the brain utilizes sleep to flush out waste toxins.
This waste removal system, they suggest, is one of the major reasons why we sleep.
"The restorative function of sleep may be a consequence of the enhanced removal of potentially neurotoxic waste products that accumulate in the awake central nervous system," the study's authors explain.
Earlier research had uncovered the glymphatic system, which carries waste materials out of the brain. According to one of the study's authors, Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, the brain's limited resources force it to choose between two different functional states: awake and alert or asleep and cleaning up. They also suggest that problems with cleaning out this brain waste might play a role in a number of brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
Evolutionary Theory of Sleep:
Evolutionary theory, also known as the adaptive theory of sleep, suggests that periods of activity and inactivity evolved as a means of conserving energy. According to this theory, all species have adapted to sleep during periods of time when wakefulness would be the most