The Curious Case of Kittens Sleep A Jabberwocky of Growth HormonesAs any cat lover...

The Curious Case of Kittens
Sleep A Jabberwocky of Growth
HormonesAs any cat lover knows
kittens are notorious for
their love of sleep Its not
uncommon to see a ball of
fluff curled up in a cozy
little bundle snoozing away
the day But why do they need
so much shuteye Is it because
theyre just really good at
napping or is there something
more to itIn fact researchers
have discovered that kittens
excessive sleeping is linked
to a growth hormone called
somatotropin also known as
growth hormone This hormone is
released during deep sleep and
its purpose is to stimulate
growth and development in
young animals like kittensBut
heres the fascinating part
this growth hormone is only
active during REM sleep which
is the stage of sleep where
your brain is most active Its
as if your kitten is having a
miniadventure while theyre
snoozing During this time
their brain waves are similar
to those experienced when
theyre awake and alertSo what
does this mean for our feline
friends Well it means that
their sleep patterns are
actually helping them grow and
develop at an incredible rate
In fact kittens can double
their birth weight in just a
few weeks thanks to the growth
hormone released during
sleepBut lets not forget the
Jabberwocky of Growth Hormones
the curious case of how this
process works is still
shrouded in mystery Just like
Lewis Carrolls whimsical
creatures from his classic
poem the workings of
somatotropin are still a bit
fantastical and hard to
graspNonetheless its clear
that sleep plays a crucial
role in kittens development
and their ability to release
this growth hormone during REM
sleep is a remarkable example
of evolutionary adaptation So
next time you catch your
kitten snoozing away the day
remember that theyre not just
being lazy theyre hard at
work growing into the
beautiful creatures we know
and loveReferences Growth
Hormone Regulation During
Sleep by S R PandiPerumal et
al published in the Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology and
Metabolism 2013 The Effects of
Sleep on Growth Hormone
Secretion in Children by J M
Bliwise et al published in the
Journal of Pediatric
Psychology 2001Image credit
Whimsical illustration of
kittens sleeping surrounded by
fluttering growth hormone
molecules inspired by Lewis
Carrolls Jabberwocky poem

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