SleepBetter.org

By Dr. Michael J. Breus

It’s a simple question that you’d think would have a simple answer. We know that sleep has restorative effects on our bodies down to the cellular level, but how it all works from a biological perspective has been somewhat of a mystery.

Now we’ve got more details to help tell the story of just what exactly goes on. New research suggests that during the initial stages of sleep, energy levels increase dramatically in brain regions that are active when we’re awake. The scientists behind this latest study believe that this surge of cellular energy may replenish the brain’s processes that we need to function normally during the day.

“Energy,” by the way, refers to ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is our body’s chief energy molecule. It’s also  the same energy currency in other animals like rats, which were used in the study. The researchers found the following:

• ATP levels increased in four key brain regions that are normally active during wakefulness, when the rats were in non-REM sleep.
• During this time, however, an overall decrease in brain activity occurred.
• When the animals were awake, ATP levels remained steady.
• When the rats were gently nudged to stay awake three or six hours past their normal sleep times, there was no increase in ATP levels.

What does all this mean?

Read More »