Study Says Biological Clock Stimulates Thirst before Sleep

Study Says Biological Clock Stimulates Thirst before Sleep

According to a study in rodents led by Prof. Charles Bourque of McGill University, the brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst in the hours before sleep. This image shows thirst neurons (blue) in mouse SCN. Image credit: C. Gizowski et al / McGill University. Biologists knew that rodents show a surge in water intake during the last two hours before sleep. The new study revealed that this behavior is not motivated by any physiological reason, such as dehydration. So if they don’t need to drink water, why do they? Prof. Bourque and co-authors found that restricting the access of mice to water during the surge period resulted in significant dehydration towards the end of the sleep cycle. So the increase in water intake before sleep is a preemptive strike that guards…


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