Scientists were stunned by this statement chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus). They did not see them sleeping for more than half a minute. Neither day nor night. Thereupon, an international group of researchers set out. Discover the ‘secret’ of this species. Why him”state of environmental disconnection“According to scientists, this is a dream that can come true essential restorative functions for the brain.
The results of the research published in the journal ‘Science’ were surprising: Chinstrap penguins don’t have long-term dreams; the exact opposite, They survive thanks to more than 10,000 microsleeps per day, lasting an average of 4 seconds., each one. However There are so many of them that they sleep more than 11 hours every day.
All complex animals, from the fruit fly to the blue whale, sleep. In fact, six years ago, a species of brainless jellyfish (they have neurons but no central nervous system) was discovered to display sleep-like behavior.
But what’s going on? micro dreams? It is an interruption of wakefulness lasting a few seconds with the closing of the eyes and the beginning of sleep-related brain activity. Until now, scientists believed that microsleeps were too short to provide the restorative functions of sleep.. Now these are not so clear.
“Anyone who has driven late at night will likely recognize microsleeps, which are periods of ‘sleepiness’ lasting several seconds that occur involuntarily during our normally alert attention,” the study says.
In some contexts these interruption of wakefulness is dangerous, but some authors have already raised the possibility if microsleep provides the cumulative benefits of sleep. Otherwise, it may be useful in animals that need to be constantly alert..
Longest sleep, 34 seconds
The authors of this latest study, Korean, French and German, tested this hypothesis in wild-breeding chinstrap penguins, nesting in and offshore. antarcticaBy remote monitoring with electroencephalogram.
“The penguins fell asleep more than 10,000 times a day, for just 4 seconds each time, but still managed to accumulate about 11 hours of sleep.. Their reproductive success shows that this strategy allows them to get the sleep they need,” the researchers emphasize.
These short ‘naps’ appear to be sufficient to perform at least some of the restorative functions of sleep. The question that will likely be the subject of future research is whether the same thing happens in other species and in non-breeding chinstrap penguins.
It has already been proven that these things happen now”power napChin-strap penguins are shorter in stature and more dense when guarding eggs.
“If microsleeps are more than failed attempts to induce sleep and perform sleep functions, then it may be difficult to rely on them. adaptive strategy as in the case of birds guarding their eggs “under ecological conditions that require constant attention”.
The report’s authors examined 14 penguins nesting in a colony on King George Island in Antarctica. During the 10 days of observation, the birds never slept much. Actually, The longest sleep on record was 34 seconds.
“This is the most surprising and interesting thing: They can cope with fragmented and continuous sleep day and night.” says co-author Paul-Antoine Libourel from the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center in Bron, France.
Electrodes inside the brain
To collect data about brain activity, researchers electrodes inside skulls This allows scientists to determine when birds enter a state of slow-wave sleep, the dominant form of sleep in birds and humans.
Chinstrap penguins starred more than 600 brief periods of slow-wave sleep per hour. The researchers suspect that these events have become shorter and more frequent as the birds guard the eggs, “perhaps because they need to be more vigilant during incubation.”
Before this research, it was known that birds sleep shorter than mammals. But scientists expected that a certain amount of sustained sleep would be necessary. physical and mental recovery.
Scientists are now interested in the implications for understanding sleep in general. They note that although naps are very frequent, they do not seem to be very relaxing due to their short duration.
The study’s authors suggest that if microsleep can truly be restorative, perhaps other species could also rely on it to rest in situations where they need to stay awake.
“We don’t know whether the benefits of microsleep are the same in penguins and other mammals such as mice and humans,” Libourel says. However, the study shows that ” At least one species can sleep this way and behave normally“So I don’t understand why other species haven’t evolved the same adaptations to sleep,” he adds.
Reference report: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh0771
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