Health
What dreams are made of: Scientists discover true purpose of why we, and other animals, need to sleep – RT
A team of scientists has discovered a dramatic change in the purpose of sleep, which takes place when humans reach roughly two-and-a-half years of age, switching from rapid growth to a permanent damage-control function.
Before this milestone, the brain grows very rapidly, making use of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep to build and strengthen synapses, the connections between neurons in our brains, as babies learn at an extraordinary rate.
Once the two-and-a-half-year threshold is passed, however, the researchers now say that sleep’s primary function permanently switches to one of maintenance and repair.
All animals experience ongoing background brain damage as a simple consequence of being alive. This low-lev…
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