From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!wupost!csus.edu!csusac!citrus!tree!asmodeus Thu Jan 16 17:20:06 EST 1992
Article 2681 of comp.ai.philosophy:
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Path: newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!ists!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!news-server.ecf!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!wupost!csus.edu!csusac!citrus!tree!asmodeus
>From: asmodeus@tree.UUCP (Jon Ballard)
Subject: Re: Waking up is hard to do, but somebody's got to do it
Organization: The UNIX Tree Public Access *ix  (916)349-0385 Sacramento, CA
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1992 16:46:56 GMT
Message-ID: <1992Jan13.164656.15820@tree.UUCP>
References: <61668@netnews.upenn.edu> <363@tdatirv.UUCP> <61968@netnews.upenn.edu>

In article <61968@netnews.upenn.edu> weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) writes:
>In article <363@tdatirv.UUCP>, sarima@tdatirv (Stanley Friesen) writes:
>>In article <61668@netnews.upenn.edu> weemba@libra.wistar.upenn.edu (Matthew P Wiener) writes:
>>|Remember: evolution of sleep did occur, even though some animals lose.
>
>>That is my point, sort of.  It evolved, so the added benefit of sleeping
>>*must* exceed the danger.
>
>My point is that the dangers of sleep to species are not as great as the
>danger to individuals.  I can even conceive of it evolving solely as an
>energy conservation measure, and only later becoming more sophisticated.
>
>>			    I think my model explains the benefit quite well.
>
>But your model--preventative maintanance--has been explored and found
>wanting for decades.
>
>>Especially since sleep does *not* seem to be correlated with anything
>>like 'intelligence'.
>
>Actually, there is a correlation.  High EQ (encephelization quotient) species
>seem to need more REM sleep than low EQ species.  Whether this correlation is
>due to an underlying relationship or not is unknown.  If sleep is needed for
>thermoregulation, than larger bodies will lead independently to both higher
>intelligence and simpler thermoregulation.
[...]

I've always felt the sleep not only helped the bodily function as in 
maintanance but also allows the brain to sort out the idea, thoughts, etc
etc in a days work.  There seems to be short-time memory and long-lasting
memory.  I think its safe to say the the brains stores short-time memory
in the frontals of the brain (thought processes).  There probally is enough
fast thinking memory their for us to store more then 4-6 days a memory.
Then we sleep and it gets transfered from the short-time to long-lasting 
memory.  Kinda-of like a consolidate, cross-reference, and update process.
Then when we wake up we get to use that space again for our days work of
thinking.

This kinda leads to why do we feel tired.  Probally becuase its get harder
for our brain to work while most of the short-time memory is filled up.  So
we lose straight-lined thinking.  

Well, this is my $.02 to chew on.  It may not be all correct, and I may not
be the best writer, but give it some thought.
-- 
Jonathan Ballard    UNIX TREE BBS     asmodeus@tree.UUCP


