– If the brain releases chemicals that paralyse the body during sleep, how come people still turn around many times throughout the night?

Question

– If the brain releases chemicals that paralyse the body during sleep, how come people still turn around many times throughout the night?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The brain doesn’t paralyze the body during sleep. Your brain releases more inhibitory neurotransmitters, like GABA, and other hormones, which help relax the voluntary muscles. But your involuntary muscles like your GI tract, cardiac and respiratory systems are still working. Even your skeletal muscles are still able to function, which is why limbs move, you shift position etc.