Human brain taking tiny naps throughout the dayJune 22, 2019 - 15:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - If you've ever felt your eyelids droop for just a fraction of a second during some mundane task — like staring at a computer screen or driving down the highway — you've experienced a phenomenon known as "microsleep," ScienceAlert says. Discover Magazine's blog The Crux recently spotlighted the experience, which happens when key parts of the brain switch off for a few seconds at a time. This means that, while you're not quite asleep, you're certainly not awake either. "It's sort of like being a zombie for a few brief moments — sans the whole 'eating human flesh' part," Megan Schmidt wrote for the blog. "And usually, people don't realize it's happening to them." And while this can happen to anyone, the sleep-deprived are consistently most at risk. Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker previously told Business Insider that "the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life." According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a traffic research and safety organization, around 16.5% of fatal car crashes in the US are caused by microsleep. One of the biggest disasters involving microsleep, reports Discover Magazine, is the 2009 crash of AirFrance Flight 447 that resulted in 228 deaths. Once investigators listened to recordings from the plane, they found the captain complaining that he was running on just an hour of sleep. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |