Feeling tired? This is how you brain controls your need for sleep
The IndependentSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But our recent study has shown in laboratory mice that the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for the most complex brain functions – including perception, language, thought and episodic memory – helps us track our need for sleep. It can permanently readjust its structural connections to store new memories and eradicate old ones But our brain would be very inefficient if individual parts of the cortex often went into local sleep whenever they felt they needed to. But while we have shown the cortex plays an important role in regulating sleep, we still do not know why this particular brain region regulates our need for sleep. Suppressing sleep might be dangerous, because sleep serves several essential, but still poorly understood, functions in our body and brain – such as memory processing, and making sure our immune system and metabolism function properly.
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