What are the biological processes that occur inside the body during sleep? (not the sleep states)?
149840
The one thing I know for sure is that your body releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH) at night, in stage 4 deep sleep.  If kids don't get enough deep sleep they can stunt their growth.  For the rest of us, it means that we don't heal as well (HGH helps regenerate and repair cells in our body), and our immune system suffers.  You can get HGH as a supplement, but it has never helped me much.
64411
when we sleep our brains dont shut down but slow down.  we rejuvinate our brain causing us to think more clearly and be more preductive in just about everything we do.  It can effect the body in the long run.  Our muscles dont get the proper rest they require.  here are two links.  the first goes into great detail about what it does to the brain and the second is sleep deprivation fron diccovery.com
55423
brain is a very vital organ of the body .they continously work all around 24 hrs.abt the dreams,,the brain having a mechanism called RAPID EYE MOVEMENT.this work  on as u go to sleep..n result in dreams.one thing more abt 90 %of dreams are colourful.....
17294
What I've read, there is some confusion about the function of sleep.\n\nOne aspect is to properly rest your muscles, the other may be to reconsolidate thoughts from that day. At certain times during sleep (REM phase) the brain is very active, so it is unlikely that you can call this rest.\n\nFrom A-Level Psychology I remember that brains can adapt to sleeping habbits so it is possible to reduce the amount of sleep you get. To go without sleep completely for long periods is generally considered unhealthy.
942281
Cell Respiration is the process by which the chemical energy of "food" molecules is released and partially captured in the form of ATP. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins can all be used as fuels in cellular respiration, but glucose is most commonly used as an example to examine the reactions and pathways involved.
670247
Well, sleep is a period of regeneration.  Sleep deprivation, leads to decrease of brain metabolic activity, weakening of the immune system (i.e. drop in white blood cell count).  And in children the growth hormone is released during sleep.  Generally during sleep the rate of production in cells increases and their rate of protein breakdown decreases. \nInterestingly i can't remember where i read this, but the amount of sleep required for a species depends on their metabolic rate, and the metabolic rate increase as the size of the animal decreases.  So a mouse needs around 18 hours of sleep to regenerate properly, whereas an elephant needs around 3. But don't quote me on those numbers.
890689
During sleep, we usually pass through five phases of sleep. Some people say four phases or two phases. These stages progress in a cycle from stage 1 to rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, then the cycle starts over again with stage 1. \n\nThese sites discuss them in detail.
532576
None of the species, other than the birds and the mammals, in this vast animal kingdom shows the phenomenon of dreaming. It is exclusively a property of birds and mammals and is highly developed in humans.\n      Dreaming is a form of subjective consciousness (after Freud) achieved during sleep. Actually it is a form of memory refreshment(just like a computer system) in which the brain gets rid of the unnecessary data collected during consciousness (like those of clearing the cookies of your system). This is achieved by a complex mechanism related to the biological rhythms of the organism concerned coupled with it's physiological state and behavior and is brought about neuronal firings during REM sleep in different regions of the brain specifically at the frontal lobe, rostral pons and the visual cortex. The actual mechanism is so complicated that this form of neuronal firing can not be carried out when the animal is in conscious state (otherwise the normal behavioral responses and physiological activities will clash). So, dreams only occur in birds and mammals, highly developed in humans and occurs predominantly during sleep related to their biological rhythms.\n      The structure of brain of insects (like bees, as you have asked) or any other animal is not so well developed to support such a complicated mechanism.\n       So, bees can never dream of flowers.\n    Bees can sense flowers by their eyes and other senses while foraging and can convey the message to their mates by their marvellous dancing languages
20719
You are probably referring to metabolism.  Metabolism is a collection of chemical reactions that takes place in the body's cells to convert the fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving to thinking to growing. Specific proteins in the body control the chemical reactions of metabolism, and each chemical reaction is coordinated with other body functions. In fact, thousands of metabolic reactions happen at the same time - all regulated by the body - to keep our cells healthy and working.
317396
Your brain is the most important organ in your body, and also it's particularly helpful for school. When you concentrate your brain will use 20% of the glucose in your body. You therefore need to get out of bed early so that you can A) wake up your brain, and B) feed your body which will allow for the intake of glucose to your brain when you need it.....
358137
the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus is responsible for circadian rhythms (basically our internal clocks).  the clock in the pons is responsible for basic rest-activity cycle and cycles of REM sleep and slow-wave sleep.
455971
Non-REM sleep (NREM), accounts for 75-80% of total sleep time: \nStage 1-  The stage is sometimes referred to as somnolence, or "drowsy sleep". It appears at sleep onset (as it is mostly a transition state into Stage 2. In this period, the subject loses some muscle tone, and conscious awareness of the external environment: Stage 1 can be thought of as a gateway state between wake and sleep. \nStage 2, The EMG lowers, and conscious awareness of the external environment disappears. This occupies 45-55% of total sleep. \nStage 3, functions primarily as a transition into stage four. Overall it occupies 3-8% of total sleep time. \nStage 4 is true delta sleep. It predominates the first third of the night and accounts for 10-15% of total sleep time. This is often described as the deepest stage of sleep; it is exceedingly difficult to wake a subject in this state. \nStage 5, or Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, associated with dreaming.REM sleep is predominant in the final third of a sleep period, its timing linked to circadian rhythm and body temperature. Sleep proceeds in cycles of NREM and REM phases. In humans, the cycle of REM and NREM is approximately 90 minutes. Each stage may have a distinct physiological function. Each sleep stage is not necessarily uniform. Within a given stage, a cyclical alternating pattern may be observed.
104164
Easy! You are thirsty even after you don't take a nap. However, when you take a nap a lot of time goes by and you get thirsty.\n\nThe real scientific way of describing this fact is that all your physical functions slow down while you sleep. You still have water in your body but it is not in "active" positions. When you exercise the water keeps circulating in your body, but it gets used quickly. When you are not exercising but not sleeping the water circulates but gets used in a non-rapid fashion. When you sleep, almost no water gets used but it does not circulate.\n\nTherefore your body starts to feel a need for water.
1121117
sleeping is still one big unsolved mystery.. till now there is no clear definition on why does the body needs sleeping or what happens in the brain during sleeping hours .. actually all living creatures do need sleeping each their own way. We spend half of our life sleeping.. really strange !! As for your question.. closing your eyes, opening your hand, lifting your leg are all body acts that can't be compared to sleeping.
1035623
scientific studies claim that every hour of sleep before midnight counts double the number of hours that are being slept through past midnight. aside from the thorough rest you get by sleeping early, most of your cell repair, digestion, detoxification and growth gets done before and around midnight, or follow a certain sequence that depends on the time of your sleep.
410739
Exercise speeds up the heart rate and triggers endorphins in your brain, as well as adrenaline. Exercise before bed can result in insomnia. It may not be medically unhealthy to exercise before bed, but it would be much wiser to exercise in the morning so that your body is prepared for the day.
1021411
It really is not well known.  Physical exertion and mental stress bring on the feeling of fatigue.  We know the areas of the brain involved in sleep and wakefulness, but it is unclear whether tiredness results from an impaired ability for the blood to carry nutrients to the brain, or if the brain has a shut down mechanism to preserve muscles from overexertion.