Scientists found how deep sleep helps your body grow

During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, a chemical messenger that helps build muscle, strengthen bones and regulate how the body uses fat. For teenagers it matters even more, because growth hormone plays a big role in reaching full height. Scientists knew poor sleep interferes with growth hormone, but not how the brain controls its release during non-REM sleep, the deep stage that dominates the early part of the night. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have now identified the neurons that regulate this release, and discovered a feedback loop in which the hormone also affects the brain. The study was published in the journal Cell.