If you’re in need of a nap, your brain will find a way, even if you stay awake
If you’ve ever been on a long car trip and found yourself nodding off into mini-blackouts, that’s your brain overriding your decision to drive too many miles without enough sleep.
In a recent test to explore the link between brain fog and sleep deprivation, neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin kept rats awake for extended periods while measuring brain activity with EEG.
The rats were constantly given new toys as stimulation. But while they seemed to be engaged and alert (in spite of their lack of sleep), the EEG recordings revealed that tiny clusters of brain neurons occasionally shut down.
It’s the ultimate power nap: Napping when awake!
Unfortunately, these isolated neuron cluster naps caused the rats to make errors and become forgetful — much the same way we “space out” when overtired, or experience those frightening two-second blackout nods while driving.
Those nods are a clear message that it’s time to pull over and get a good rest. If you’re in need of a nap, your brain will find a way, even if you don’t.
Sources:
“Tiny clumps of neurons doze off, even while the brain as a whole is awake” Valerie Ross, Discover Magazine, April 2011, discovermagazine.com
