When deliberating the mechanism of sleep and all the issues and disorders that occur in the human experience, it is easy to wonder whether all animals sleep and whether they suffer from sleep problems as well.
A great article was written by Jerome M. Siegel, School of Medicine – University of California, on this exact topic. He gives some great information on the sleep patterns of many common animals that we interact with on a daily basis – some of which is quite interesting! You can see the entire article here, but if you’re looking for a quick summary you can check out some of the highlights below:
Sleep in Insects: Research cannot find any evidence that insects experience REM sleep. This shows that the 700,000 species of insects do not actually sleep as we humans do, but enter a stage of rest instead.
Sleep in Amphibians: Studies show that due to the evolution of amphibians, they are in a constant state of alertness for predators. Because of this constant state of awareness, amphibians do not enter REM sleep as we do. Though research is limited, it was concluded that some amphibians do sleep (Tree Frog) whereas others do not (Bull Frog).
Sleep in Birds: It has been concluded through scientific research that birds experience both REM and non-REM sleep, though the periods of REM sleep are shorter than what mammals would experience. An interesting finding shows that birds’ amount of sleep reduces by two-thirds during seasons of migration.
Sleep in Marine Mammals: When researching the sleep patters of the fur seal, it was found that the sleep state caused the brain and body to perform in a half-sleep state. When the fur seal is sleeping in the water, one of it’s flippers remains active in order to keep it’s position in the water. The fur seal also keeps one eye open during it’s sleep time in the water. It appears that half of the brain and body might be