Clifford Saper believes that people who lose small amounts of sleep on a daily basis can suffer impaired mental performance and an increased risk for heart disease. |
Waking up to how we sleep and dreamThe Oct. 27, 2005 issue of the prestigious science journal Nature devotes almost 40 pages to bringing readers up-to-date on what happens during sleep. Three of the articles are by Harvard Medical School scientists who discuss such things as an on-off sleep switch, and learning while we sleep. Clifford Saper, James Jackson Putnam Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, and his colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center study key nerve circuits that switch us from waking to sleeping and back. Two small clusters of nerve cells in the hypothalamus, a cherry-size area behind the eyes, shut down our arousal circuits when we sleep. The switch is turned back on by the time of day and the length of time spent awake before going to bed. |
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