Scientists have long believed that sleep happens only in the brain to regulate cognitive functions like learning, but this groundbreaking research challenges that idea by investigating whether the spinal cord can also sleep. The spinal cord can learn and remember movements even when disconnected from the brain, but we currently do not understand how this works. Here, we test if sleep-like states in the spinal cord help strengthen these memories, working independently from brain sleep. Our research aims to unveil that spinal cord sleep exists and understand why it matters. We plan to answer this in three main approaches: First, we will use advanced nerve activity recording technology in the brain and the spinal cord and artificial intelligence to detect whether the spinal cord has its own sleep patterns. We'll compare spinal cord activity in mice with intact spinal cords versus those with severed connections to the brain, checking if spinal sleep looks like brain sleep or has its own unique pattern. Second, we will examine the molecular changes that happen during spinal cord sleep by studying individual cells and their gene expression patterns. We'll compare these changes to what we already know about brain sleep to see if they work similarly or differently. Third, we will test whether spinal cord sleep is actually necessary for learning that happens within the spinal cord without brain input. We will achieve this by training mice with spinal cord injuries to move their legs in response to specific cues. While monitoring their spinal cord activity, we will test three ideas: 1) Sleep is needed to strengthen the nerve connections that store memories, 2) Sleep helps maintain the optimal balance of nerve activity for efficient learning, and 3) Learning experiences trigger the need for sleep in spinal cord circuits. By combining cutting-edge nerve activity recording techniques, genetic analysis, and computer modeling, this research aims to determine whether sleep is required by all learning networks throughout the nervous system, not just the brain. Understanding how the spinal cord sleeps could lead to new treatments for spinal cord injuries and reveal fundamental principles about how our nervous system processes information and forms memories. This discovery could alter our understanding of sleep, learning, and recovery from neurological injuries.