Animal study · Research · 18 Oct 2026
In mice, deep sleep and growth hormone formed a two-way circuit that also pushed the brain toward waking
Source: UC Berkeley / Cell
What the research found
Study (mice). Xinlu Ding, Yang Dan, and colleagues at UC Berkeley, with Jun Ding at Stanford, report in Cell (2025; 188(18):4968; DOI 10.1016/j.cell.2025.05.039). ScienceDaily ran the finding again on 17 Oct 2026. In the hypothalamus, growth-hormone-releasing hormone neurons and somatostatin neurons supported growth-hormone release in both REM and non-REM sleep, by different activity patterns. As the hormone built up, it stimulated the locus coeruleus, a brainstem region tied to alertness, which fed back toward waking. The authors say too little sleep would cut hormone release, and too much hormone activity can push the brain awake. They tie that balance to repair and to how the body handles fat and glucose. Mice sleep in short bouts, and this is not a human therapy. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Animal study. Results in animals or cells often don't carry over to people.
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