Scientists know that sleep is important for our brains to function properly and are trying to understand exactly how it all works. A new study highlights sleep’s role in the brain’s cells ability to grow and repair themselves.
Researchers used mice in their study in which some were allowed to sleep and others were forced to stay awake. The focus was on the gene activity of cells called oligodendrocytes, which play a role in the production of myelin. Myelin is vital to the movement of electrical impulses from cell to cell. It covers the brain and spinal cord nerve cell projections.
The results show that sleep turns on genes that play vital roles in the formation of myelin. Lack of sleep was linked with the activation of genes that are known to be associated with cell stress and death.
Researchers had already discovered that sleep affects the activity of nerve cells and now it is clear that the supporting cells in the nervous system are affected as well. This discovery follows right behind another vital scientific find from earlier this year. Researchers found that sleep is also important in maintaining our brains neurons; it allows the neurons to independently rest and repair themselves. If neurons attempted to rest while we were awake, they be less efficient and we’d perform negatively on a variety of tasks.
Don’t take sleep for granted. You feel and perform better after getting the 7-9 hours of shut eye your body requires. It is one of the best ways to ensure having a successful day. Climb into bed early tonight, you deserve it!
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