The Science Of Sleep

Lesley Stahl Explores The Latest Findings In Sleep Research

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on March 13, 2008. It was updated on June 12, 2008.

Human beings spend on average one third of our lives asleep. We know we need to sleep, but most of us have never really given a whole lot of thought to why.

Why do we spend seven or eight hours a night immobile and unconscious? What really happens inside our brains and bodies while we're sleeping?

As correspondent Lesley Stahl first reported this spring, it's one of the biggest unanswered questions in all of science, which is why researchers all over the country are doing studies, and coming up with some new, intriguing discoveries.

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"We don't sleep just to rest our tired bodies?" Stahl asks Matthew Walker, the director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Well, that's been one of the long-standing theories. But I think what we're starting to understand is that sleep serves a whole constellation of functions, plural," Walker explains.

One thing that's clear, says Walker, is that sleep is critical. In a series of studies done back in the 1980s, rats were kept awake indefinitely. After just five days, they started dying.

Walker says they started dying from sleep deprivation. "In fact, sleep is as essential as food because they will die just about as quick from food deprivation as sleep deprivation. So, it's that necessary," he says.

And it's not just rats: every animal studied so far needs sleep, from the elephant right down to the fruit fly. But that's as far as the similarities go. Some animals sleep 20 hours a day, others only two or three. And still others sleep with half their brains at a time, all making it hard to figure out what exactly it is about sleep that makes it so essential, and that, in terms of evolution, makes it worth the risks.

"You wonder why we developed this if survival is the whole point. Because you're completely vulnerable when you're lying there," Stahl points out.

"Whatever the function of sleep, or the functions of sleep are, they seem to be so important that evolution is willing to put us in that place of potential danger by losing consciousness. It would be the biggest evolutionary mistake if sleep does not serve some critical function," Walker says.

One of the most exciting new discoveries in the field of sleep research involves learning and memory.

Five college students were subjects in one of Walker's studies, and they had been awake for more than 24 hours. He has found that students like these do 40 percent worse memorizing lists of words after a night without sleep. But he has discovered something far more revolutionary about what happens when we do sleep.

"Sleep, we've been finding, actually can enhance your memories, so that you'll come back the next day even better than where you were the day before," Walker tells Stahl.

To prove it, Walker put Stahl through a test he's given to more than 400 study subjects. Stahl had to type a series of numbers - 4, 1, 3, 2, 4 - over and over again with her left hand, making a new physical memory.

[skeezix06]

So after all these years of being told over and over and over again by the MEDIA (hello?) into trying to get less sleep so that we can be more productive than the nation across the street or down the road and avoid being called lazy we now find out that the entire premise is wrong.

And what are we going to do about it? I predict pretty much nothing. Employers, family responsibilities, and all the modern notions about how we should all live will make this study forgotten quickly.

[kozy138]

Stresses of everyday living causing a lack of sleep may be a reason that African Americans develope diabetes more than others.

[sleepy22221]

Every knows that lack of sleep affects us, maybe not to the technical degree detailed but the question is.... HOW DO WE GET MORE SLEEP. WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP.

[soissa]

Can we theoretically conclude that sleep deprivation may also be contributing to the high rate of infertility? Sounds physiologically possible.

[qsleep]

This isn''t exactly new or novel, as the report suggested. As early as 1969, Kuhn discovered the metabolic consequences of sleep loss, essentially beating Dr. Van Cauter by some 40 years.

[tomcalwriter]

There was one aspect on these studies that would seem obvious to explore further, if indeed it has not. That is the role of deep sleep. Relative to the rest of our sleep, what if we were able to increase the amount of deep sleep we get, would that decrease the amount of total sleep that we need?

[num1babe]

Terrific show tonight on Sleep. However, I was disappointed that no resolution, resources, or websites were given to correct the problem.

CBS, can you do another show on what to do for those of us who are sleep deprived?

[slavicsiren]

In the early 80s my then husband declared that I had to get up every night with our blind baby who was not on a solar schedule and therefore, would be up regularly 2-4 hours a night for about 8 years. The reason? I made less money than he did. I worked outside of the home and took care of the older child. I started to regain lost weight when this baby came home. I remember one day when he had been up very late the night before and I had to get him up very early in the a.m. to get him back on track. I got frustrated and reached for a Hershey''s kiss, thinking, "I will taste this for only a quarter of a second but I''ll feel good during that time." Oh, and ***? Well, sleep was like gold to me. The frequency of *** greatly decreased because I really needed to sleep. THe quality was as good or better, though, so sleep deprivation didn''t affect normal functioning.

[maiingan]

The most culpable element of modern life in our sleep deprivation is the alarm clock. Nobody should be required to awake because of an alarm clock!
We do have internal clocks which can be amazingly accurate in waking us up when we tell them to. If we didn''t rely on alarm clocks, we''d go to bed earlier; and populations with different natural sleep regimes, like teenagers, wouldn''t be asked to show up someplace like school, before they''re had enough sleep according to their real needs.
By the way, if the people who wanted to slash our sleep need could get their way, one of the first harmful effects would be that our use of fuels would jump to light the environments of the people suddenly sleeping less and wanting to do things requiring sight.

[keygirl13]

Your sleep story was very interesting,but one thing not mentioned was the fact that maybe sleep is protecting a person''s mental state. In five years I lost my mother, my daughter and my son. Instead of turning into a basket case, I found I needed to sleep every couple of hours. A trip to the store wore me out. Back home I headed for the bed and fell into a deep sleep. This was repeated for a couple of years receeding bit by bit. Fighting this did no good, I could find myself about to fall asleep on my feet. So I stopped fighting it and to this day, I''m still getting better, tho I do get at least 8 hrs of sleep, plus a mid day nap.

[russo0303]

Has anyone herd of EarthPulse Technologies, Sleep on Command. It is an electronic machine that sends magnetic waves through your brain and controles your sleep. Just wanted to know if anyone had any info. on this.

[anonymous001]

Isn''t it odd that after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (routinely performed on children almost as a rite of passage until the 1950s) came under fire and was practically stopped being done, we eventually developed epidemic problems with obesity and diabetes?

In my opinion, it''s not a coincidence. Sleep disordered breathing (and all of it''s sequelae) is the result of this monumental medical decision.

[ajaxtheleast]

They sat this guy down and said "Make up
something about sleep for the people.".

[notbyintent]

Unfortunately, the research presented by Ms Stahl are the usual interesting but medically worthless stuff that permeates our press. I''m sorry that 60 minutes have some to this type of uncritical journalism. People have been doing sleep research for years. Where is the data that shows that people who feel refreshed after 4 hrs of sleep is more likely to do something bad than people who sleep eight hrs? Then to use fMRI as a quantitative measure of something wrong--where is the data that fMRI can be used quantitatively this way? Finally, that fruitfly story is just ridiculous--if I prevented you from sleeping for days on end, you''d probably not be interested in *** either. Who needs to fund his research at hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn this? Unfortunately, much of biological research dollars are funding predictable and worthless nonsense like this--following accepted scientific research methodologies of course. Perhaps 60 minutes can do a expose on what kind of nonsense we are funding these days.

[pukajohn]

As interesting as the news article was there are some questions that come to mind regarding the the testing. After years of participating in meditation which when effectively and routinely excercised one learns to get into the gap or a state of alfa. Those that do practice meditiation in this manner can get by, and are among the most productive human beings on the planet, without much sleep at all.I guess the question and comment is have these groups that did this study tested this. If not, it would be interesting to see the results if they would spend the time to study what seems like, but really isn''t a phenomena, the effectiveness of those who can get by without almost no sleep what so ever. ANy comments of your own?

[rushlimpdrug]

Boy, I''m really sleepy now.

[noettl]

The report does nothing to help anyone who suffer serious sleep disorders. The report leaves out sleep apnea, people who have to work a night shift,migraines, death in the family, low self esteem, general depression, urban noise (Think Frank Sinatra''s New York, New York -"I want to wake up in the City that Never Sleeps?") This country profits from a multi-billion dollar industry called Starbucks, and the Meth and Cocaine epidemics. Where were any of these issues presented? Between a 2 part report -Pharmaceutical Ads on sleeping pills? Why didn''t the clinic use people who actually have sleep problems? Do we really care how healthy people who volunteer for testing really react to anything? What was this report really revealing? Was the report just showing how they process small studies? You might as well do a report on bio-rhythms or the way acupuncture needles affect the skin.
Why not conduct the report after assessing what viewers know of the subject and then present these questions to the amazing scientist in the white lab coat beeping the college kid out his delta waves?

[kimyart]

As a single mom from day one of my daughter''s arrival, I can verify your findings. My daughter has never been a big sleeper and because of having to be the only one that answers that cry, I didn''t get to start sleeping through the night until she turned 3 yrs old. This last year, I get to sleep about every third day or so. I''ve gained 20 lbs for the first time in my life, my blood pressure is up and my brain is shot (although I am hoping it''s coming back now that I do get to sleep once in ahile.)I would love to see more on this subject, especially the effect that sleep depriviation has on new mothers, because we are out there driving on the road too.

[sevenker]

Compliments to you on such fine investigative reporting on sleep. We''ve seen many reports on science of sleep, but this was exceptional, very well documented, and very interesting. Thank you so much.

[ccsi2000]

I agree with the previous comment. This show did nothing to help those of us who would LOVE to get 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep, if only we could!

[catwalker3]

I found it interesting that this artical regarding the effects of sleep deparvation and the Quaid artical regarding fatal hospital mistakes appeared on the same program. Isn''t it common practice for hospital personel to pull double shifts? It seems to be something like a badge of courage for the medical profession. Some times we need other members of society to tap us on the shoulder and say, "excuse me, but i think you are missing the big picture, your cronic sleep deprivation is placing my loved one who is currently in your hospital in danger of loosing her life, why don''t you consider this a real problem?"

[mortok99]

Consciousnesses battery. If I was still a computer programmer, I''d be programming sleep as a new experiment in AI.

[mortok99]

if(awake time = 24 hours)
execute all_sense_but_one

[mortok99]

The dualism of consciousness. One side a world of daylight, the other the world of night time. Both separate but related somehow. But both inside life''s container. Something less, in its own unique way, than the way things are.

[mortok99]

"I''ll love you when I''m sleeping". Say that to yer enemies.. Say that to yer lovers.

[mortok99]

You know whats wonderful about knowing one''s conscious? Knowing that allows us to better not to be. And thats the only reason why anybody''d want to know something like that..

[mortok99]

The only reason, Mr. media mogle.. You make me dream.

[tori868]

I have a teenager and I''m always wondering why they have to be in school before most adult are a work.
When they were showing how the brain lights up the same as a person with mental illness then they haven''t had enough sleep, could this be linked to the rate of suicide amongst teenagers?

I take klonopin at the end of the day to help me sleep. As it turns out I am getting a hangover from it and feel exhausted the next day. I guess that is reason enough to get off the *** drug.

[zipposjewel]

Wake up people!! Sleep deprivation is a MAJOR issue in our society today. our "priorities" are distorted.Work more ,make more $$$, spend more $$, waste more $$. Drive faster, talk faster, run faster.! So where does this all get us??Exausted mentally & physically stressed leading to our own state which is now morally ,financially, emotionally, Bankrupt!! The "American dream " is dying & we''re going too fast to see it or appreciate it, much less take responsibility for it. Slow down(you save gas & energy)! Turn off the lights, save energy $$ AND interestingly all our need to lite up the world messes up our sleep!!! Do the research. We yes WE are hurting ourselves physically ,financially & emotionally. Stop blaming everyone else ie different religions, races, countries etc etc. Eat better, sleep better, act better!!! WE are making ourselves sick.. We need to sleep to wake up!

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[pabenco1]

The reason a normal adult on an airplane at 11:00 AM falls asleep is because they probably got up at 4:00 AM to catch a 6:30 flight that was delayed or canceled and didn''t get on the plane till 11:00!

[Martha Z]

Good information as always from Lesley Stahl.
We all know that sleep is important and there were many points made that surprised me, especially the diabetes connection. I also though it most interesting the statement they made toward the end about senior citizens. This is very important. Maybe seniors should make it a point to find ways to sleep more. Since there is an ever increasing number of retired seniors, this would make a big difference in medicatiob consumption. There would also be less side effects caused by taking some medications.

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[davek455]

zipposjewel - I fell asleep reading your looooooong diatribe. Please write more succinctly......

signed, sleepy in NYC

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[deemsnyd]

"Whatever the function of sleep, or the functions of sleep are, they seem to be so important that evolution is willing to put us in that place of potential danger by losing consciousness. It would be the biggest evolutionary mistake if sleep does not serve some critical function," Walker says.


Looks like even if sleep does "serve some critical function", evolution would have thought of a way to serve the function, so to speak, without making us unconscious and defenseless. Wonder if maybe evolution is not how we got here?

[ed748]

Better research the sleep deprivation effects on medical personnel. Typical medical personnel schedules are 12 hours shifts and even 24 hours shifts. Their sleep deprivation can be seen on the lower and/or lesser quality of care to patients. The families of medical personnel suffer the grumpiness and short fuses.

Even bicyclists suffer death due to sleep deprived police officers on patrol.

Do we have to read about the head-on collision of a celebrity or a politician, to wake us up on the detrimental consequences of sleep deprived medical and law enforcement personnel?

Wake up, you legislators. Someone needs to update the law on these unhealthy schedules.

Total Quality Management mandates continuous improvement. When will the medical profession and the law enforcers be proactive instead of being reactive?

Thank you.

[shinfu-2009]

If deep sleep declines dramatically with age and maybe associated with the ageing process, i wonder if there is anything a 53 year old like myself might do to enhance/preserve/ maintian deep sleep beyond good sleep habits.

[shudawg1]

If you want the best nights sleep check out my web page for the only sleep system ever to have the stamp on it from the national chiropratic assoctation! Sleep tight and don''t let the bugs bite. Ray

[dikmegood56]

SCIENCE?? LOL, NOTHING NEW AND A BUNCH OF SPECULATIVE BS!

TOO BAD SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS DON''T KNOW REAL STATISTICAL POWER. THEY ARE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF ''SCREW-THE-POOCH'' DO-NOTHINGS.

[kennergirl]

I can''t believe that scientists all over the country are actually studying why we sleep! Don''t they have better things to do with their time like find a cure for cancer or heck even the common cold?

[sstrube9]

Dear Leslie Stahl,
I am sure the majority of your viewers, including me learned a little more about sleep deprivation last night, although most of the issues dicussed were quite self evident. What struck me about the program was the fact that the university medical school chose their own undergrads and imposed sleep deprivation upon them to get their results. Personally, all they had to do is just test several of their very own medical residents post call, who are routinely and chronically sleep deprived while making life and death decisions. Check and report on their accuracy, let alone the adverse health effects to patients AND Physicians. Now that''s a story!

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[sarahp53]

After decades of worsening mood swings, depression and fatigue, and 14 YEARS of trying literally scores of ultimately worthless antidepressants, I was finally diagnosed with a sleep disorder related to a birth defect. My boss at my longtime job ridiculed me. I quit. Should have sued. Now I''m using a CPAP and am finally beginning to feel human again. Thanks, "60 Minutes," for showing viewers the real medical consequences of no or poor-quality sleep.

[questionnews]

SCIENCE?? LOL, NOTHING NEW AND A BUNCH OF SPECULATIVE BS!

TOO BAD SCIENTISTS AND DOCTORS DON''''T KNOW REAL STATISTICAL POWER. THEY ARE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF ''''SCREW-THE-POOCH'''' DO-NOTHINGS.

Posted by dikmegood56 at 02:24 PM : Mar 17, 2008


Sounds like someone just got thier first prostate exam. I hated Doctors for awhile after my first one too. Don''t worry, the horrific memory of the experience will pass in time.

[dbcipro]

Anyone consider that some insomniacs are that way because of an adverse drug reaction? Since I had several adverse side effects from taking Cipro, I haven''t slept more than 2 hours a night for 19 months. Let them study that !

[tanderson330]

Thank You Lesley,
Your report helped me understand what has happened to myself and a friend of mine. We have both been suffering from a lack of sleep, or at least good sleep, and have also gained weight and had trouble with controlling blood sugar levels. Now we understand that the problems may be related and will be taking up the matter with our physicians. The memory section, learning and then getting a good night''s sleep, I had thought might be true since college as I did better on exams that I did not pull all nighters on. Once again Thank You.