Why Your Brain Paralyzes Your Body Every Night: The Science of REM скачать в хорошем качестве

Why Your Brain Paralyzes Your Body Every Night: The Science of REM

Your brain waves during REM sleep look almost exactly like you are wide awake, yet your body remains in a state of total, calculated paralysis. This "paradoxical" state is one of the most mysterious and active parts of our nightly rest, governed by a tiny, ancient control centre deep in your brain. In this episode of The 24.18 Hour Podcast, we dismantle the complex machinery of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep to understand why our most vivid dreams require such a profound physical lockdown. We explore the "engine room" of the brain—the pons—and how this ancient structure generates the REM cycle independently of the higher thinking centres of the brain. You will learn about the chemical seesaw of reciprocal inhibition, where "REM-on" cells using acetylcholine battle "REM-off" cells to flip the switch into a dreaming state. We also break down the critical difference between tonic features, like the sustained loss of muscle tone (atonia), and phasic bursts, such as the rapid eye movements and PGO spikes that give this stage its name. The discussion provides a deep look into what happens when this coordination fails, resulting in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) or the "hemorrhaging" of REM features into waking life seen in narcolepsy and cataplexy. Finally, we challenge popular myths regarding memory consolidation and the true biological purpose of this energy-intensive state. If you value evidence-based insights into the science of sleep, please subscribe to our channel, share your thoughts in the comments, and join our community of science-minded professionals and curious sleepers. — Sleep2DreamAnalytics Education-first sleep science. Not medical advice.