The Universities at Shady Grove (USG)

Greetings friends,

As the snow sneaks its way in Maryland and exams come to end, particularly students ask themselves – is the time for my winter slumber finally approaching?

And hold to that thought, because your winter vacation sleep is more important than you may think.

Getting enough sleep during the semester proves challenging, and the winter vacation is an excellent opportunity to catch up, build healthy habits, and fix your biological clock.

Bears, the ultimate winter enthusiasts, just got it rights. They’re not hitting snooze on an alarm clock but dialing down their metabolic rate for a grand winter nap. It’s their way of saying, “Why face the cold when you can catch some Zs and emerge looking fabulous in spring?”

So, there is always something to learn from nature and bears, the OG hibernation gurus, show us that a little winter rest goes a long way!

That being said – good cognitive performance and mental health during next semester is highly dependent on the quality of your sleep.

Here is a bit of how the brain works:

Your brain consists of neurons that transmit ‘electricity’ to function. I use ‘electricity’ loosely, but in this case, the distinction matters. Neurons send these electrical signals by moving charged atoms across their membrane, either from inside to outside or vice versa. It takes time for them to establish a balance of these atoms, enabling rapid response upon triggering.

Repetitive firing can unbalance these atoms faster than they can rebalance, reaching a point where the neuron can’t fire. This phenomenon is akin to semantic satiation, where repeating a word rapidly renders it temporarily meaningless.

The neurons responsible for assigning meaning become unbalanced and temporarily inactive, resulting in a loss of function. While there are ways your body can enhance neuron firing, every neuron ultimately requires rest.

Additionally, sleep serves as a mechanism to remove a significant amount of toxins naturally produced by your brain. During wakefulness, toxins accumulate, and sleep acts as a critical process to clear them, fostering a refreshed mental state. The combination of unbalanced neurons and toxin buildup manifests as a heavy, sluggish feeling, serving as a signal to encourage rest and repair.

I like making the parallel of a computer and the brain. The more you use it without putting it to sleep mode the more it will overheat because of backup processes, and hence your system slows down.

Make sure to remember how currently you are looking forward to your winter sleep, and start spring semester strong.

It was lovely to blog for USG this semester and hopefully some of the things I wrote you found engaging. Hopefully, you will hear from me again next semester. If not, I will be around at USG to chat!

Happy Holidays, and stay cozy!

Your local science nerd, game developer, artist and animator, Georgi Tsvetanski (Gogo).