The research team of Sunagawa Genshiro, a researcher at the Institute of Physical Chemistry in Japan, has developed an effective method to induce low-metabolism "sleep" through experiments in mice. When dormant animals (such as squirrels and bears) enter a dormant low-metabolic state, their basal metabolism drops from about 1% of the normal value to 25%, thereby reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing winter hunger. You can survive. Normally, when you wake up from sleep, you can start normal activities. When humans and human organs "rest", it can solve the current problems that make long-term preservation of regenerative organs and transportation of critically ill patients difficult. There is evidence that primates may also be dormant, but scientists do not yet understand the dormancy mechanism.
In a new study, scientists discovered that the mechanism of dormancy is the same as the mechanism of resting metabolism. They have developed a stable method of inducing sleep. The biggest problem in inducing mice to fall asleep is the different ability of individuals to sleep, which makes it difficult to give a definition of sleep. The research team measured the oxygen consumption and body temperature changes of each mouse, and based on this, created a mathematical model, and induced dormancy by controlling temperature and restricting eating. It was found that dormancy can be induced with a 100% probability in the range of 12°C to 24°C. According to research, without changing the set temperature, the actual body temperature of dormant mice is the same as that of dormant animals, and their metabolism is also reduced. Active low metabolism is a survival skill acquired by mammals through long-term evolution.