Posted on 07/06/2019 7:44:48 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
It has been a mystery why REM sleep, or dream sleep, increases when the room temperature is 'just right'. Neuroscientists show that melanin-concentrating hormone neurons within the hypothalamus increase REM sleep when the need for body temperature defense is minimized, such as when sleeping in a warm and comfortable room temperature. These data have important implications for the function of REM sleep.
A control mechanism saving energy
The need to maintain a constant body temperature is our most expensive biological function. Panting, piloerection, sweating, or shivering are all energy consuming body reactions. In his hypothesis, Markus Schmidt suggested that REM sleep is a behavioral strategy that shifts energy resources away from costly thermoregulatory defense toward, instead, the brain to enhance many brain functions. Neuroscientists at the DBMR at the University of Bern and the Department of Neurology at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, now confirmed his hypothesis and found neurons in the hypothalamus that specifically increase REM sleep when the room temperature is "just right."
REM sleep promoting neurons
The researchers showed that mice will dynamically increase REM sleep when the room temperature is warmed to the high end of their comfort zone, similar to what has been shown for human sleep. Their work confirms the necessity of the MCH system to increase REM sleep when the need for body temperature control is minimized.
Breakthrough for sleep medicine
REM sleep is known to play an important role in many brain functions such as memory consolidation. REM sleep comprises approximately one quarter of our total sleep time. "These new data suggest that the function of REM sleep is to activate important brain functions specifically at times when we do not need to expend energy on thermoregulation, thus optimizing use of energy resources," says Schmidt.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
65 degrees and just a sheet is “just right”.
So what’s that right temperature?
According to the article, it appears to be something higher than wed normally select. :-)
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