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Our readers are invited to email us with their questions!
Q: What’s Happening To Your Brain While You Sleep? (Jodi B.) Jodi, while you’re asleep, your body may be at rest, but your brain remains is at work. A small number of brain cells are responsible for keeping us asleep. One part of the hypothalamus is responsible for shutting down the brain’s arousal signals (and other areas of the hypothalamus and brain stem promote wakefulness). During sleep, your temperature and blood pressure drop. A full sleep cycle has four stages (some sleep researchers say that it’s five stages, but we’re going to go with the four theory) that you cycle through every 90 to 110 minutes. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Does the light from a tablet or smartphone really stop you from sleeping effectively? (Gerald R.) Gerald, in general, the light from your screen can affect your circadian rhythms. Using light later at night suppresses the release of melatonin. Once melatonin gets released, your brain starts preparing for sleep. Is it better to put your phone aside or in another room? Yes, under that principle. Any temptation to keep your brain stimulated is just going to make your brain think it should be awake. Beyond that, it depends on what you’re doing. If you’re checking the global markets on your iPad, you’re engaged. Your brain will think you should be awake. If you do something that makes your brain think you should be awake, your chances of sleeping aren’t great. | 
