microsleep

[mahy-kroh-sleep]

noun

Psychology.

1. a moment of sleep followed by disorientation, experienced especially by persons with narcolepsy or those affected by sleep deprivation.

microsleep

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌsliːp /

noun

1. a period of sleep which is so momentary as to be imperceptible

Word History and Origins

Origin of microsleep¹

First recorded in 1940–45; micro- + sleep

Example Sentences

Each nap – or “microsleep” – lasts only about 4 seconds.

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Non-breeding emperor penguins held in captivity do frequently alternate between waking and short-wave sleep patterns in a state called "drowsiness" that resemble the microsleep patterns observed in chinstrap penguins.

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“They always seem to be in a microsleep state,” says study co-leader Paul-Antoine Libourel, a research biologist at the Neuroscience Research Center in Lyon, France.

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While the data is convincing, Cirelli notes that the researchers only studied the penguins during nesting periods, making it impossible to tell if the birds microsleep when they’re not parenting.

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The other challenge is understanding how microsleep impacts the brains and bodies of the penguins.

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