If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not alone. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 50 and 70 million adults in the United States aren’t sleeping through the night. You may think you’re doing just fine even if your shut-eye is minimal, but new research sounds an alarm: parts of our brain may doze off even if you’re awake and going about your day.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, observed the electrical activity of brains in rats that were forced to stay up longer than usual. They were surprised to discover the problem-solving brain regions of the rodents fell into a kind of "local sleep." Despite these periods of local sleep, overall brain activity—and the rats’ behaviors—suggested the animals were fully awake. The scientists say this condition is likely in sleep-deprived humans too.
And the condition affects behavior. For example, when the scientists had the rats perform a challenging task—using their paws to reach sugar pellets—the sleep-deprived animals had trouble completing it.
The scientists conjecture that we don’t need to feel sleepy to be off our game. Even if we feel that we’re managing our day with enough energy, some of our brain’s neurons may not be firing up to par – and that can affect our ability to make good judgments and decisions.
