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Article: just ask us.(questions on sleep, gray hair, nervous breakdowns and other topics)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- November 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Q How do we fall asleep?
Students at Good Shepherd School, Kingston, NY
A Your question ties in with this month's cover story because it's your brain that puts you to sleep. The following explanation comes from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Nerve-signaling chemicals called neurotransmitters control whether we are asleep or awake by acting on different groups of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. Neurons in the brain stem, which connects the brain with the spinal cord, produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine that keep parts of the brain active while we are awake. Other neurons at the base of the ...