Research Explores Inducing Sleep Benefits While Awake Through Brain Stimulation
Recent research led by Chiara Cirelli at the University of Wisconsin–Madison suggests that inducing deep sleep wave activity in the brain while awake could offer some benefits of sleep without actual sleep. This involves using transcranial electrical stimulation to mimic the slow-wave sleep activity typically seen during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. The study, conducted on mice, showed that stimulating specific brain activity while awake led to effects similar to deep sleep, such as improved memory. The researchers plan to explore whether similar effects can be achieved in humans. However, experts like Vladyslav Vyazovskiy emphasize that sleep, particularly the alternation between NREM and REM states, remains irreplaceable for complete restorative functions. 
