What happens in our brain while we sleep?

Over the past decades, the global scientific community has collaborated to unravel the processes that take place in our brain during sleep. This phenomenon raises a lot of questions among experts from various disciplines.

The study of the brain is a complex and multifaceted task. For this reason, it is crucial to deepen current knowledge and understand, at least in a basic way, why it is vital that our body receives the necessary hours of rest to recover from the day's activities.

In this guide, we will explore some of the most essential processes that are set in motion in the brain while we sleep, allowing us to gain a more complete picture of the relevance of sleep and its effect on our organism.

Organization of information

One of the most intriguing processes that take place in our brain while we sleep is the organization of the information we have received during the day. Neuronal activity shows remarkable differences between periods of wakefulness and periods of sleep. While we are awake and active, neurons tend to create strong and close connections; while sleeping, on the other hand, these connections are dispersed, and various substances are produced that help to clean and restructure information.

This process is fundamental, as it allows grouping and organizing the information acquired in moments of high brain activity. This is crucial for the fixation of knowledge. For this reason, many people manage to solve problems while sleeping or generate more creative ideas than before. This phenomenon reflects the brain's ability to process and organize information that we would otherwise not be able to assimilate properly before sleep.

Memory consolidation

Sleep is essential for brain processes to consolidate the information we have acquired in our memory. For this reason, a good night's sleep significantly improves academic performance and the learning process in general. The hippocampus, one of the areas of the brain most related to learning, has shown that after a good night's sleep, space is freed in this structure, facilitating the learning of new information.

In addition, the cleaning of neuronal connections and the creation of new connections are essential for our brain activity to be effective in learning.

Hormone secretion and regulation

Hormone secretion and regulation is another crucial process that occurs in our brain while we sleep. This ability of the brain to regulate our hormones is vital to human life. For example, during sleep, the production of antidiuretic hormone is inhibited, which helps to prevent nighttime disruptions. At the same time, the production of melatonin, a natural sleep regulator that helps to maintain sleep in our body, is increased.

Likewise, growth hormone is released during sleep, underscoring the importance of adequate rest in children to ensure healthy development. Other hormones that play a role during sleep include thyroid-regulating hormone, which is essential for the maintenance of our health and the proper functioning of our biological functions.