Recently, Mianyang released a newly opened column "A little more knowledge", which selected mainstream media and Internet good articles in the central and provincial provinces, and introduced you to small knowledge about economy, science, health, etc. in life. Warm reminder, the column #A little more knowledge can be found in the bottom of this article.
Like humans, almost all animals need some form of rest or sleep. Most animals rely on natural circadian rhythms to regulate two different states: sleep and awakening.
Humans dream when they sleep, but scientists want to know if the same thing will happen to animals too. Some studies have shown that animals have many similarities with human pups in terms of sleep. They will wet the bed, "talk in their sleep" and even perform rhythmic head movements.
The American magazine Discovery reported that sleep patterns vary greatly in different species. For example, a cat can sleep for 16 hours a day. The elephant only slept for about 2 hours a day. Giraffes will nap on and off throughout the day, each time lasting about 5 minutes. Although giraffes may sleep up to 4.5 hours a day, it is estimated that only 30 minutes of that is deep sleep. Predators in
animals sleep very long during the day, and animals with safe sleeping places sleep more than those sleeping in the open air. Some animals, such as horses, have strong bone adaptability and can sleep while standing. However, they cannot enter the REM sleep phase in this position. To enter the REM sleep phase, they must lie down.
Interestingly, only half of the brains of the dolphins are in a rest state when they sleep, which is the so-called "half-brain sleep", while the other half is in a alert state.
So, will animals dream when they sleep? According to the website of the American magazine Sleep and Health, experienced veterinarians have confirmed that animals will shake their limbs, twitch their facial muscles and make sounds when they sleep, which shows that the animals are actually dreaming. Animal researchers also pointed out that the effects of daytime behavior on animal dreams are similar to those on humans.
The common feature between non-human mammals and humans is the existence of a rapid eye movement sleep phase. Observations show that the rapid eye movement sleep phase is characterized by high brain activity. Visual activities, motor activities and metabolic activities will increase during this period. For example, dogs often bark or twitch their legs during REM sleep.
Animals are troubled by sleep disorders
According to the National Sleep Foundation website, comparative studies related to human sleep are usually performed in mice, rats, cats and dogs. Studies have shown that many animals are affected by sleep disorders.
The magazine Sleep and Health reported that, like humans, sleep disorders in animals may be primary or secondary, caused by brain tumors, encephalitis, drug treatment, heart problems, etc. The most recognized primary sleep disorders can be divided into two categories: narcolepsy and sleep apnea. Narcolepsy manifests as excessive sleepiness during the day, sudden fall asleep, hallucinations during sleep or wake up. Studies on dogs and Welsh ponies have confirmed that the consequences can be quite serious if this sleep disorder is not treated. Sleep apnea means that breathing stops during sleep. Scientists have discovered this type of sleep disorder in Persian cats and bulldogs.
The Discovery magazine reported that there is evidence that mice may suffer from insomnia in the same way as humans, i.e., stress and anxiety. In one study, researchers moved male rats from familiar cages to dirty cages where another male rat once lived. The results showed that the mice moved to the cage seemed to have experienced insomnia.
Animal sleep studies help understand that the human brain giraffes can stay away from sleep for weeks, while brown bats sleep almost all day. The golden dormouse carefully maintained balance on the branches and whispered, but any tremor of the branches would awaken it immediately.
From small tree shrews to the largest mammals, they all have different sleep patterns and habits. Rats have similar sleep needs as humans and need rest to stay alert and keep energetic.
"The important way to understand human sleep is to study animals." said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Center for Sleep Research. "If we can better understand animal sleep, we can better understand the core of human sleep."
For years, scientists have been working to identify the abnormalities in the human brain that causes narcolepsy. In fact, dogs have unlimited potential in helping treat the disease. Some canines even help scientists treat severe sleep disorders. In the 1970s, significant progress was made in the treatment of narcolepsy. At that time, William Diment, MD, a MD in the Sleep Research Center at Stanford University, learned that some dogs exhibit similar symptoms of narcolepsy that are narcolepsy that are similar to humans, namely sudden collapse and muscle weakness, which leads to nearly paralysis of the dog. More than 20 years later, based on these preliminary observations, researchers discovered the hypothalamic secretin receptor 2, a gene that causes narcolepsy in dogs. Narcolepsy is narcolepsy. Further research shows that the content of hypothalamic secretin in people with narcolepsy is severely reduced. The study also found that injections of hypothalamic secretin to dogs with narcolepsy can reduce the extent of attacks in certain conditions. These findings suggest that scientists can design drugs to replace the missing hypothalamic secretin in patients’ brains.
In addition, dolphins' "half-brain sleep" may provide new clues for human brain research. In the future, such brain models may be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases, said Charles Amlanner, director of animal research at Indiana State University.