What Happens To Neurons During Sleep?

When we sleep poorly, we feel tired. Poor night sleep can have a serious impact on both physical and mental health. This is why sleep is so important, it is essential for every species that has a nervous system. What happens to neurons during sleep? Keep reading and find out!

Science has shown time and time again that sleep is a vital function. In fact, prolonged inadequate sleep intake can even be fatal.

Nature Communications Sleep published an interesting study of what happens to neurons during sleep. It states that sleep enhances the ability of chromosomes to reduce gene damage in neurons. In addition to this, the study provides some possible explanations for the true purpose of sleep:

• Facilitates the biosynthesis of macromolecules.

• Helps save energy.
• Participates in the cleaning of metabolic products.
• Enables processes related to neuronal plasticity.
• Confirms long-term memories.

What happens to neurons during sleep?

According to the above study, damage to brain cell DNA during the day is best repaired during sleep. When we sleep, gene damage to neurons is significantly reduced. This in turn reduces the possibility of cell dysfunction.

It is important to keep one thing in mind. Genetic damage accumulated over a long period of time can lead to the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and other neurological disorders. For this reason, it is very important to get enough sleep.

This peculiar time-dependent and especially internal clock-dependent repair of genetic material has been observed mainly in neurons. No other significant differences in repair efficiency are seen in other cell types within the other anatomical components.

From this it can be concluded that sleep, as a physiological condition that corrects cell damage, is more effective for neurons than for other systems in the body.

From an evolutionary perspective, one could say that humans have needed a strategy to keep neurons healthy. This strategy is, as you probably guessed, a dream. Sleep was definitely one of the most optimal processes due to all its special features and mechanisms.

On the other hand, the above study also found that this damage repair mechanism may work in another direction as well. Defects accumulated in DNA gene sequences can trigger gene repair mechanisms by attracting sleep.

Severe lack of sleep can lead to death. This has been known for centuries. This may be based on these findings from deficiencies in DNA repair caused by sleep deprivation.

It is therefore worth respecting your own sleep-wake rhythm whenever possible in order to stay healthy. Remember that a good night’s sleep means a good quality of life.