{"id":23754,"date":"2023-01-05T17:46:49","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T16:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=72927"},"modified":"2023-01-05T18:36:56","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T17:36:56","slug":"do-all-animals-sleep","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/do-all-animals-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Do all animals sleep?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Henry Gee\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 05 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>All animals with a decent-sized brain engage in sleep \u2013 a period of rest when the brain enters an altered state of consciousness less immediately sensitive to its surroundings.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Why do animals sleep?<\/h2>\n

We do all sorts of useful and necessary things better when we are asleep, such as flushing metabolic by-products from the brain, consolidating memories and growing. And if we go without sleep, we are likely to suffer increased fatigue and, eventually, a variety of unwelcome physical and mental consequences. Experiments on rats, for example, show that sleep deprivation compromises the body\u2019s ability to heal wounds, fight cancer and combat infection.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Some animals take sleep to the next level. Dolphins, for instance, snooze with only half of their brain at a time. This is vital to their survival, allowing them to both come to the surface to breathe and remain vigilant for sharks while in the land of nod.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Find out how hibernation<\/a><\/strong> and torpor differs to sleep<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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