In article <127hugh.1 at chiron.wits.ac.za>, 127hugh at chiron.wits.ac.za (Hugh S. Selsick) says:
>>I am interested in gathering ideas about the purpose of sleep.Can anyone
>suggest why sleep may have evolved, or what physiological functions it
>serves? Does sleep serve the same purpose in all animals?
One Darwinistic idea is that the dreaming that occurs in sleep allows
the animal to explore different behavioural responses without actually
performing them, thus adding the animals repertoire of possible actions
when confronted with a real life situation. I think (but am not sure) that
this idea originated with Robert McCarley. Of course this does not explain
all aspects of sleep.
Jon Henrik Laake, MD
---------------------------------------------------------------
Anatomical Institute, University of Oslo,
POBox 1105 Blindern,
0317 OSLO, NORWAY
Tel +47 22851176/51150, FAX +47 22851278,
EMail: jon.laake at basalmed.uio.no
