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The Brain's Secret For Sleeping Like a Log

Posted by Soulskill on from the light-exercise-and-a-fifth-of-rum dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Why can some people sleep through anything? According to this article in Wired Science, some lucky people have an extra helping of a certain kind of brain static that essentially blocks out noise and other stimuli. These 'sleep spindles' can be detected via EEG, and show up as brief bursts of high-frequency brain waves; some people naturally produce more than others. The researchers say these spindles are produced by the thalamus, the brain region that acts as a waystation for sensory information. If the thalamus is busy producing sleep spindles, sensory information can't make it through the thalamus to the cortex, the perceptive part of the brain."

2 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I used to have trouble falling asleep by simoncpu+was+here · · Score: 2, Informative

    I know this a troll, but this is very true. Our bodies produce proloactin and oxytocin after sex so we fall asleep afterwards. They're our bodies' natural sleeping pill.

  2. Re:Sleep by SteelCougar307 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Ah, the life of a night owl.

    I know it sounds weird, but you might try keeping a sleep journal. It could help you collect data and maybe see what's going on. I just started using a program called SleepChart. Seems like it will take a long time to gather enough data, but maybe it will be helpful.

    IANAD or anything, though. Just someone else who isn't a morning person.