These penguin parents sleep for four seconds 10,000 times a day

December 1, 2023 8:20 PM

Extreme power naps: These penguin parents sleep for four seconds 10,000 times a day. Antarctica's chinstrap penguins could get the same benefit of longer periods of snoozing by taking microsleeps during nesting season, according to a new study documenting one of the most extreme examples of incremental sleep in the animal world.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries (13 comments total)

As a parent of a 4 yr old and 2 1 year olds, I think I did pretty much this when the twins were newborns. Certainly felt like it..
posted by Jon Mitchell at 8:28 PM on December 1, 2023 [6 favorites]

Roughly half their 86400 seconds spent asleep, switching on and off like a slowly oscillating electric current. What a way to live.
posted by hippybear at 8:32 PM on December 1, 2023 [4 favorites]

I've felt that way sometimes during work meetings.
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:29 PM on December 1, 2023 [6 favorites]

As a parent of a 4 yr old and 2 1 year olds, I think I did pretty much this when the twins were newborns. Certainly felt like it..

When I had newborns, it often felt like I went into REM sleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes, like my brain new it had to get to that important part ASAP because there was no knowing how many minutes Id get to stay asleep.

Heck, in my first labor, my contractions were 3 minutes apart, and lasted about 90 seconds. In the 90 seconds in between contractions, I was falling asleep and dreaming. I'd wake up with the new contraction, feeling like I'd been asleep for a long time and worried that my labor had stalled.

4 seconds, though. Wow.
posted by Well I never at 12:01 AM on December 2, 2023 [4 favorites]

“Just resting my eyes honey”x10⁴
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 1:40 AM on December 2, 2023 [4 favorites]

That is pretty amazing. There are some animals that sleep with one brain hemisphere at a time including migratory birds that sleep this way in flight. One problem with sleep can be the REM phase where conscious control of muscles is shut off. Humans can nap without entering this phase - but we need this type of sleep in the long term. I wonder if the penguins do?
posted by rongorongo at 2:40 AM on December 2, 2023

Nah fuck that man!
posted by Meatbomb at 3:10 AM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

I hadn't daydreamed about polyphasic sleep for a while but had not expected to be reminded of it by penguins
posted by one for the books at 4:56 AM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

Maybe this is why penguins can't (or shouldn't) fly
posted by chavenet at 4:58 AM on December 2, 2023

Nah fuck that man!
posted by Meatbomb

Clearly, he's on a Mission from God.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:54 PM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

I don't get it, is
posted by aws17576 at 2:32 PM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

this not how sleep
posted by aws17576 at 2:32 PM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]

works for all of you?
posted by aws17576 at 2:33 PM on December 2, 2023 [1 favorite]