Cells in eye could help control sleep

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Our working culture of long hours and shift work with the 247 availability of almost everything have conspired to demote sleep in our priorities says Professor Russell Foster who led the research.
'Our working culture of long hours and shift work, with the 24/7 availability of almost everything, have conspired to demote sleep in our priorities,' says Professor Russell Foster who led the research.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A set of nerve cells in the eye control our levels of sleepiness according to the brightness of our surroundings, Oxford University researchers have discovered. The cells directly regulate the activity of sleep centres in the brain, providing a new target for the development of drugs to control sleep and alertness.


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