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The Purpose of Sleep? To Forget, Scientists Say (nytimes.com)

Posted by msmash on from the puzzling-questions dept.

Over the years, scientists have come up with a lot of ideas about why we sleep. From a report on NYTimes: Some have argued that it's a way to save energy. Others have suggested that slumber provides an opportunity to clear away the brain's cellular waste. A pair of papers published on Thursday in the journal Science offer evidence for another notion: We sleep to forget some of the things we learn each day (Editor's note: the link could be paywalled; alternate source). In order to learn, we have to grow connections, or synapses, between the neurons in our brains. These connections enable neurons to send signals to one another quickly and efficiently. We store new memories in these networks.

6 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Wake me up by gatfirls · · Score: 3, Funny

    In 4 years please.

    1. Re:Wake me up by gnick · · Score: 4, Funny

      Have you tried turning yourself off and on again?

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    2. Re:Wake me up by gatfirls · · Score: 2, Funny

      You're no fun.

  2. Purpose of sleep is to forget? by olsmeister · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought that was the purpose of whiskey.

    1. Re:Purpose of sleep is to forget? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1, Funny

      It's to make those members of the opposite sex that are attracted to you, attractive enough to you, while you are still sober enough to be any use to them.

      Like all important things, it's about balance.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  3. God's a script kiddie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Proof that God is a hack and couldn't write a kernel that manages much more than a 48h uptime before it needs a reboot. I bet all the kids in other galaxies with cooler Gods are laughing at us.