Yes, fish do sleep. Although it can be tough to tell, since they don’t have eyelids that open and close, fish spend part of each day sleeping. You can tell when they’re sleeping in fish tanks: They sit at the bottom and don’t move, motionless except for minimal correcting motions with their fins to remain in position. They seem to be in a trance like state of suspended animation. Scientists have recorded brain waves of fish. They show a distinct difference in the patterns between being awake and being asleep.
Fish sleep is a bit different than the sleep we humans enjoy. For most fish, it is a period of rest and reduced activity, not the deep rapid-eye-movement brainwave activity that occurs in humans.
Fish need the restorative nature of reduced activity and slower metabolism that comes with sleep. In that respect, they are the same as humans and most all others in the animal kingdom.
Answers
Dilip Patel
Yes, fish do sleep. Although it can be tough to tell, since they don’t have eyelids that open and close, fish spend part of each day sleeping. You can tell when they’re sleeping in fish tanks: They sit at the bottom and don’t move, motionless except for minimal correcting motions with their fins to remain in position. They seem to be in a trance like state of suspended animation. Scientists have recorded brain waves of fish. They show a distinct difference in the patterns between being awake and being asleep.
Fish sleep is a bit different than the sleep we humans enjoy. For most fish, it is a period of rest and reduced activity, not the deep rapid-eye-movement brainwave activity that occurs in humans.
Fish need the restorative nature of reduced activity and slower metabolism that comes with sleep. In that respect, they are the same as humans and most all others in the animal kingdom.