Why your body jerks before you fall asleep
Today in “Things you’ve always wondered but never thought to ask at the right time”.
I have kicked the sheets clean off my bed before. I’ve smacked my wife in the head and I’ve sent my dog flying. All because of involuntary jerks at the brink of slumber. Scientists think it’s the result of the final moments of a battle between your sleep and waking cycles.
Deep in the core of our brain, a region called the reticular activating system controls our feeling “awake”. Elsewhere, near the point where the nerves from the eyes cross inside your head, the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus senses the cycles of light and dark and shifts our brain to a deep sleep mode.
As your waking motor system teeters on the brink of control at that point just before the VLPO takes over, WHAM, KICK whatthehell?!
Now you know. Sleep tight.
(More info at BBC - Future)
The Carl Sagan-inspired surrealist GIFs of Ignacio Torres, featuring humans as star stuff.
(images by Ignacio Torres, full gallery at The Morning News)
Revisiting my favorite GIFs ever made, I just stumbled upon this interview with Co.Design where photographer Ignacio Torres discusses how he makes these stereoscopic stardust super-shots. Step inside the star-stuff lab!
How to choose & use a backpack.
Just got back from Big Bend National Park in Texas. This is my second backpacking trip here. It’s an amazing place and is one of the darkest places in the world at night so it’s great for stargazing. My girl held up pretty well considering it was her first back country experience. You can see how isolated our camp was in the second picture. Lots of things here to stab you while you’re hiking without trails. It was refreshing to get out again.
Support the National Park Service!
[Gear Talk: I purchased the Kelty Coyote 80 liter pack for this trip. I stuffed it full and heavy and it held up great. Very comfortable and lots of pockets for organization. I highly recommend it.]
(Source: Spotify)
baby polar bear’s first steps
Free Promo!
Reblog this post and click the link above for a free promo to thousands!
