Current Biology Furrer et al.

A researcher observes reindeer as part of the study.

Reindeer don’t get much sleep: In a herd, they take turns grabbing short naps; when fearful of predators, one hemisphere of their brain sleeps while the other keeps watch.

Now, a study published in Current Biology shows they can sleep while eating, too.

Whether carb-loading before pulling Santa’s sleigh or just browsing nature’s produce aisle before the long Arctic winter, reindeer get food while the gettin’ is good.

That continual eating should cause a build-up of physical pressure to sleep, followed by a rebound of more, deeper, non-REM sleep.

But a non-invasive EEG study of four Eurasian tundra reindeer shows the animals experience smaller sleep rebounds during summer, and that brain activity related to non-REM sleep dropped during rumination.

In short, reindeer are more rested after chewing their cud.

That adaptation could help them chow down more when food is most abundant.

Leo Rescia

The last thing an Arctic plant sees.

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