The minute we think about the concept of hibernation, we think about a bear in a deep sleep phase. The general consensus is that the two phenomena, i.e., sleep and hibernation, are very similar and co-related to each other, which is an inaccurate fact. Sleep and hibernation not only differ from each other on a physiological level but are also very different chemically and biologically.
Sleep is a vital life process for animals to rejuvenate themselves. It is a maintenance process during which the physical anatomy is at ease but the metabolic processes continue to function.
Sleep is divided into various stages- Wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM. Every night we typically complete at least 4 to 5 sleep cycles (each cycle- 90 to 110 minutes).
Stages N1 to N3 are considered the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stages. The REM stage is not a restful sleep phase since it is associated with rapid eye movement and irregular muscle movement.
According to these stages, the brain and its cognitive activity get altered while one is asleep. During the REM phase, dreaming occurs, responsible for the creation of memory and information processing.
Through this stage there is an increase in the heart rate and blood pressure, and the activity of the brain is markedly more dynamic.
Our sleep cycle is operated on the basis of Circadian Rhythm (body clock) and it regulates how long and when one should sleep.
Sleepless individuals often complain of headaches, reduced cognition, forgetfulness, mood swings, anxiety or emotional distress. According to a study, lack of proper sleep has also been linked to high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, etc.
Conditions like sleep apnea or insomnia can weaken one’s health. Sleep apnea decreases the quantity of oxygen your body receives while sleeping. Due to this insufficiency, the number of health ailments increases. Insomniacs can be identified via their poor sleep habits.depression, anxiety and other chronic illnesses.
The amount of sleep one requires can vary from individual to individual and also changes according to age.
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Hibernation is an energy-saving survival mechanism. It is usually performed by animals like fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and bears, as well as a few mammals.
This enables them to optimize their energy by reducing the pace of their other metabolic activities, slowing heart rate and lowering their body temperature.
While hibernating, these animals use up their body fat to dispense themselves with energy.
Various changes occur in the brain of a hibernating animal, such as they seem to be under a lot of stress, the neurons might reduce in size as well as the neural connections may also get damaged. Once they are out of this phase, all the mangled neural connections revive back to their normal state.
Due to the diminution in the catabolic and anabolic activities, there is no major change in the muscle and bone mass of these organisms.
Such animals tend to consume a lot of food at once, resulting in a sizable weight gain. While hibernating, all that weight is reduced as the body uses stored energy to fulfil the requisite demands of the body.
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| Sleep | Hibernation |
|---|---|
| Natural process where the body is not active and the eyes are closed | Physiological response to adverse conditions |
| Normal metabolism | Decrease in metabolism rapidly |
| Body temperature unaffected | Body temperature lowers |
| Cognitive functioning unaffected | Cognitive functioning reduced, leading to damage of neural connections as well as neurons |
| Heart rate lowers a bit | Heart rate drops drastically |
| Breathing slows down | Breathing rate is extremely low |
| Digestion is uninterrupted | In order to prevent the loss of nutrients and to conserve energy, digestion stops |
| Energy supplementation occurs as usual | Energy is supplied to the hibernating organism via the usage of fat reserves |
| No weight loss | A considerable amount of weight lost |
| Dreaming occurs | No dreaming |
| Regular life process to support life | The near-death situation since there is a reduction in all the major life processes |
Hibernation can be in different states depending on the environment, which can be hot or cold and can also vary according to different durations and functions.
Unlike the popular belief, which is that bears are the typical hibernators, the maximum number of animals which prefer hibernation is small. For example, bats, hamsters, squirrels, and hedgehogs.
Human beings spend around 1/3rd of their lives sleeping.
Sleep deprivation can be fatal and can actually kill one faster than food deprivation.
Human beings are the only mammals that willingly delay sleep.
Some animals can survive even without oxygen when they are hibernating.
The hibernation that occurs during the summer is known as aestivation.
12% of the people dream in black and white.
Hibernation and Sleep are physiological processes, which are different from each other. Sleep is an extremely essential means for an organism. It enables them to stay alive and perform all the basic functions with proficiency. On the other hand, hibernation can be described as a survival mechanism used by animals to conserve energy in extreme conditions.
Q1. What are the various physiological changes that occur while hibernating?
Ans. The metabolic rate along with the heart rate and breathing lowers considerably in the hibernating organism. The body temperature also reduces and can even go lower than the freezing temperature.
Q2. Is hibernation similar to deep sleep?
Ans. No hibernation is different from deep sleep since there are various physiological changes that do not occur when one is in deep sleep.
Q3. Can Human Beings hibernate?
Ans. Yes, it is possible for humans to hibernate. Research is still going on how to actualise this idea. If we are successful in these attempts then we can use hibernation to save lives and prevent serious illnesses.
Q4. What changes occur in the brain of the hibernating organisms?
Ans. The cognitive function reduces considerably when organisms are hibernating. The neurons and neural connections shrivel during this period of time. A protein called Tau builds up in the brain of the hibernating animal.
Q5. Can all animals perform hibernation?
Ans. No, not all animals can hibernate since this requires lowering all the metabolic activities, heart rate and as well as breathing rate drastically and not all organisms have the ability to do that.
Q6. Define aestivation.
Ans. Aestivation can be defined as the hibernation that occurs in the summers. It is also characterised by the lowered metabolic rate, heart rate as well breathing rate but this is performed by animals in extremely high-temperature conditions. This can be seen in animals living in deserts or tropical regions like amphibians, earthworms, reptiles, etc.
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