What’s the physiological difference between being unconscious, and just being asleep?
In: Biology
In this case sleep would probably be most accurately described as a category within the larger category of unconsciousness.
When you have passed out from oxygen deprivation (eg. Drowning, ill-advised adolescent sleepover games, circulatory dysfunction), in a coma, under anesthesia, or asleep, you are unconscious.
I like the business metaphor above but I will tweak it a bit. Awake is the business during normal operating hours, sleep is when everybody goes home and the cleaning crew comes in, a coma (in some cases) is the building being shut down for an extended period while construction crews do major repairs. Oxygen deprivation would then be “the building is on fire!” And everybody was evacuated.
Extended oxygen deprivation is well…the building didn’t survive the fire. At that point you get to take your pick on where all the employees went.
source: undergrad neuro degree
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