• Question: Is sleep essential to life or could it be manipulated/altered to allow for more time awake?

    Asked by Alex to Amy, Helen, Nicolas, Daniel, Thorrun on 20 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Helen Frost

      Helen Frost answered on 20 Jun 2017:

      Hi Alex,

      I don’t know much about the neurology and psychology behind sleep, other than the fact that our cells repair damage while we’re asleep, but I heard an interesting fact the other day.

      Manatees (the weird dolphin/cow type animals that live in the sea in Florida) have to breathe approximately every 5 minutes, but they sleep underwater, either resting on the sand or hovering just below the surface of the water. This means that they never really get a nice long rest. The longest they can go between breaths is about 20 mins, and that’s only when their energy levels are extremely low. So, they just constantly have tiny, mini naps, and then wake up to breathe, and then nap again. They are just as active in the day as in the night, so they eat and socialise at all sorts of times. I find it a bit sad that they don’t ever have the chance to get a really long, deep sleep like most animals do 🙁

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