ScienceDaily: Why heat makes us sleepy

“Temperature affects the span of human behavior, from eating and activity levels to sleep-wake cycles. We may have a harder time sleeping in the summer and be slow to get out of bed on colder mornings. But the link between sensory neurons and neurons that control this cycle are not understood completely.

Northwestern University neurobiologists have found a few clues about what's happening. In a new study, published today (Aug. 17) in the journal Current Biology, researchers found that fruit flies are pre-programmed to take a nap in the middle of the day. A follow-up to their 2020 Biology paper that identified a brain thermometer only active in cold weather, the new paper explores a similar "thermometer" circuit for hot temperatures.

"Changes in temperature have a strong effect on behavior in both humans and animals, and offer animals a cue that is time to adapt to the changing seasons," said Marco Gallio, associate professor of neurobiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. "The effect of temperature on sleep can be quite extreme, with some animals deciding to sleep off an entire season -- think of a hibernating bear -- but the specific brain circuits that mediate the interaction between temperature and sleep centers remain largely unmapped."”

Some Insights From This Article

• This article has been super relatable for me, during the summer I keep finding myself taking mid day naps or as the article refers to them as siestas for some inexplicable reason (other than I find myself tired during that time).

• There are so many factors of the environment that our body responds to including light, and now there may be increasing research and work being done on finding the relationship between temperature and body systems as well!

Full article is here!

Do you ever notice a change in behaviors during hot/cold seasons? What is your favorite type of weather?

#Weather #Temperature #Behavior