Sleep Shrinks Brain; A New Study Makes Shocking Claim
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There is definitely no alternative to good sleep. However, a new study has made some shocking claims according to which sleeping shrinks the human brain. Interestingly, the latest study states that sleeping brings minor changes in the brain.
The researchers have found the sleep brings change in the brain. To be precise the scientists claimed sleeping provides a time when the brain's synpases, the connection between neurons, shrink. That's not all, the study further claims that the shrinkage of brain is about 20 percent. As Yahoo News reported, the synpases rest and relaxes and prepare for the next day. It is this time the synapses grow stronger to receive better input. These inputs could be anything related to learning new things.
Now, without the reset, known as "synaptic homeostasis," the synapses might become burned out or overloaded. This is something similar to what happens when too many electrical appliances are connected to an electric outlet.
"Sleep is the perfect time to allow the synaptic renormalization to occur ... because when we are awake, we are 'slaves' of the here and now, always attending some stimuli and learning something," claimed Dr. Chiara Cirelli from University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Sleep and Consciousness.
She further added, "During sleep, we are much less preoccupied by the external world ... and the brain can sample [or assess] all our synapses, and renormalize them in a smart way." Dr. Cirelli and her colleague Dr. Giulio Tononi had both introduced the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis (SHY) way back in the year 2003, claimed Fox News.
Both the doctors have visual evidence of the SHY after observing shrinkage of synapses in sleeping mice. This was an intricate experiment that took place for about four years. However, the researchers have published the report in February, 2, 2017 in the Science journal.
Russel Foster, who heads the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute of Oxford University claimed the work to be a very nice and clear. He supported the idea that sleep is important for consolidating memory and finally, learning. He even claimed to envision follow up experiements based on the experiment conducted by Dr. Cirelli and Dr.Tononi.
