With all this constant stream of tech news, it’s a wonder how anyone gets any sleep in the world, and for some people this can be a serious problem. REM, or Rapid Eye Movement, sleep is the deep sleep in which people tend to dream and get actual rest, and the lack of this type of sleep can cause some serious problems down the road.
Luckily, a group of neuroscientists at the University of Toronto have discovered what makes people literally tick while they sleep.
According to these researchers, the brain has two different receptors that sends signals to the rest of the body to paralyze it to keep from kicking around or sending active signals back to the brain, thus preventing REM sleep. So, after testing on rats, it was found that by blocking these receptors then the brain perpetuates activity through the body even though it may think it’s sleeping.
Now while for those people without a REM-disorder, then the lack of REM sleep can mostly lead to groggy, dreamless mornings; however, for others getting a proper night of sleep can assist in preventing deadly diseases like Parkinson’s. Hopefully, by reversing what they did to the rats, scientists will eventually find a way to induce REM sleep the way the body intended. It can just be hoped that this does not involve a tin foil hat and a car battery.
