• Question: What happens to our brains when we fall asleep?

    Asked by SD1901 to Anna on 16 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Anna Ashton

      Anna Ashton answered on 16 Mar 2015:

      Hey SD1901,

      When we’re sleeping our brains go through different stages. At each stage the brain is controlled by a different wave of activity, this means that the electrical activity in the brain follows different wave patterns.

      The main two stages of sleep are non-REM and REM. REM stands for rapid eye movement because during this stage your eyes are literally moving rapidly! In fact your whole body would be moving but the muscles are paralysed to stop this happening so you’re not dancing all over the place in your sleep!

      As well as controlling our level of consciousness, the brain is busy doing other things while we sleep. For example, it will re-live events and things you learnt during the day so that you can remember them the next day. It does this by making the connections between brain cells stronger. Some people think this is one of the reasons why we dream.

      Hope that answers your question! 🙂

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