• Question: What does the brain do during sleep? ZZzzzzzzzz

    Asked by gandalfthegrey to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 22 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hello again! The main function of sleep is for the brain to rest and regenerate – during sleep the brain makes new brain cells and regulates hormone production like ‘cortisol’ which is thought to be involved in the stress response. That’s why if you have a good night sleep you wake up feeling refreshed and not stressed!

      Also, during sleep people can dream because the brain does not completely shut down. Some people think that we dream because the brain needs to continue to process all the day’s information, or because we are anxious or upset about something. Some people think dreams are a window into the future!

    • Photo: William Davies

      William Davies answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Most of the complex functions shut down for a while. The basic functions such as keeping your body temperature and chemical balance constant continue. Some scientists think that one of the functions of sleep is to help the brain process everything it has done during the day, and to form solid memories of all the day’s events

    • Photo: Michelle Murphy

      Michelle Murphy answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      our brains are very active when we are asleep. It still has to control our body temperature, we can still hear if there is danger and can wake up quickly (fire alarm, someone calling your name) it keeps a check on all our muscles and organs (so we wake up if we need to pee) but mostly it is thought to work on repairing any damage we did during the day by generating new cells and making our bodys rest so we save energy for the next day.

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 22 Jun 2010:

      Hi, I already answered this in my other questions if you have a scan through. But basically the brain goes through the different sleep stages as well as storing memories etc. At the same time the unconscious sleep state lets your body perform maintenance jobs while you are not using your energy for other things.

Comments