Twenty -six years. It is roughly How much is our life Sleep Scientists are trying to explain why we spend so much time in sleeping at least Ancient greekBut it has proved difficult to pin the exact sleep functions.
During the last decade, the nature and work of sleep has increased interest from researchers. New experimental models in association with progress in technology and analytical techniques are giving us a deep look inside the sleeping brain. Here are some of the recent successes in sleep science.
1. We know more about lousid dreamers
Now not on fringes, the dream of dreaming neurocyphic studies has now become the mainstream.
In a 2017 study, American researchers woke up their participants during the night at regular intervals and asked them what was happening to their brains before the alarm call. Sometimes participants could never remember any dream. The study team then saw what was The participant is getting in the brain Moments before waking up.
Remembering the content of the dreams of the participants, the posterior was associated with increased activity in the hot zone, a region of the brain closely Is associated with awareness awarenessResearchers can predict the presence or absence of dream experiences by monitoring the region in real time.
Another exciting development in dream studies is research in lousid dreams, in which You know that You are dreaming A 2021 study established Two-way communication Between a dreamer and a researcher. In this experiment, the participants indicated to the researcher that they were dreaming with their eyes rotated in a pre-oriented pattern.
The researcher read the problems of maths (what is eight minus six?). The dreamer could answer this question with eye movements. The dreamers were accurate, indicating that they had access to high level cognitive functions. Researchers used PolisomanographyThose who monitors physical functions such as breathing and brain activity during sleep, to confirm that the participants were sleeping.
These discoveries are excited dream researchers about the future of “Interactive Dreaming”, such as practicing a skill or solving a problem in our dreams.
2. When we sleep, our brain repeats memories
This year is a symbol of the first performance centenary Sleep improves our memoryHowever, a review of recent research has revealed that memories were made during the day. Be active again While we are sleeping. Researchers detect it using it machine learning Technology for “decoded” to sleep brain content.
A 2021 study It is found that the training algorithm is found to differentiate between different memories, while the awakened makes it possible to see the same nerve pattern again in the sleeping brain. Even in a separate study, 2021, it was found that these patterns emerge again during sleep, Huge profit for memory.
In other approaches, scientists are able to re -activate some memories Repetition sounds The question was associated with Smriti while the participant was sleeping. A 2020 Meta-analysis of 91 experiments It was found that when the memory of the participants was tested after sleep, they were remembered more stimuli whose voice was played back during sleep, compared to control stimuli whose voices were not resumed.
Research has also shown that memory strengthens memory for sleep Most important aspect For an experience, to restructure our memories More harmonious stories And helps us come together solve problems We are stuck on us. Science is showing that sleeping on it really helps.
3. Sleep keeps our brain healthy
We all know that we feel bad lack of sleep. Laboratory Sleep Lack of Lack of Sleep, where researchers have been combined with interested participants awake overnight, Functional MRI brain scan To portray a detailed picture of a sleep -deprived brain. These studies have shown that lack of sleep is severely interrupted. Connectivity between Various brain networks. These changes include rupture of connectivity between brain areas Responsible for cognitive controlAnd a amplification of people involved in this Danger and emotional processing,
The result is that sleep deprived brain is bad Learning new information, Poor in regulating emotionsUnable to do more Press the intrusion ideasSleep loss can also reduce you likely to decrease help other peopleThese conclusions can explain why there is poor sleep quality Universal in poor mental health,
4. Sleep protects us from neurodygenetrable diseases
Although we naturally We sleep less as ageGrowing evidence shows that first sleep problems in life Exposure Of dementia.
Building β-amyloid, A Metabolic waste productsAlzheimer’s disease is one of the underlying mechanisms. Recently, it has become clear that deep, good for undivided sleep Flush these toxins Out of the brain. Lack of sleep increases the rate of manufacture of β-amyloids in parts of the brain involved in memory, Like hippocampusA longitudinal study published in 2020 found that sleep problems were linked to high rates of β-meyloid accumulation in a follow-up Four years laterIn a separate study, published in 2022, sleep parameters Rate estimated Cognitive decline in participants in the following two years.
5. We can sleep engineer
The good news is that research is developing treatment to get a better night sleep and increase its benefits.
For example, European Sleep Research Society And this American Academy of Sleep Medicine Recommend cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Works by CBT-I Identifying ideas, feelings and behavior that contribute to insomnia, which can then be modified to help promote sleep.
In 2022, a CBT-i Application became First digital therapy Recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, England for treatment on NHS.
These intervention can also improve other aspects of our life. A 2021 Meta-analysis 65 clinical trials found that improvement in sleep through CBT-I reduced signs of depression, anxiety, rumor and stress.
Dan DennisMary Skolodowska-Corey Senior Research Fellow, University of york
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