NOVA: Mysteries Of Sleep

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published February 24, 2020 at 9:08 AM PST

A woman sleeping. Scientists peer into the brain to see what happens while we snooze and understand the powerful role that sleep — or lack of it — plays in memory, trauma, and emotion regulation.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 9:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / On demand now with KPBS Passport!

Why do we sleep? And what does sleep have to do with memory, trauma, and our emotions? Like virtually every other animal, humans need sleep to survive.

But why? On NOVA "Mysteries Of Sleep," scientists peer into the brain to see what happens while we snooze and understand the powerful role that sleep — or lack of it — plays in memory, trauma, and emotion regulation.

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To measure the brain’s ability to form completely new memories, researchers teach kids made-up words for novel objects.

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From fruit flies to whales, virtually every animal sleeps. But why? Why do we need to spend nearly a third of our lives in such a defenseless state? Scientists are peering more deeply into the sleeping brain than ever before, discovering just how powerful sleep can be, playing a role in everything from memory retention and emotional regulation to removing waste from our brains.

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NOVA: Mysteries Of Sleep

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