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A study conducted by McGill University, involving close to 400 young infants, has revealed that many healthy babies don’t start sleeping through the night until they are one year old. The aim of this study was to explore whether infants who do not achieve six to eight hours of continuous sleep are at a higher risk for psychomotor or mental development problems. Fortunately for many parents, the research concluded that there is no relationship between irregular sleeping patterns in babies and developmental delays; as a result, there’s no need for worry if your child does not sleep without waking throughout the night. Additionally, the study found no evidence that the wakefulness of infants during the night affects the postnatal mood of their mothers.

New mothers and fathers typically expect their child to sleep through the entire night when it reaches six months of age. Pediatricians and other health professionals also always emphasize the importance of early sleep consolidation. However, a new study conducted by the McGill research team suggests that many healthy infants don’t reach that milestone when they are 6 or even 12 months old. Good news is that even if infants sleep less than six or eight a night consecutively, that won’t cause any problems with their psychomotor and mental development. There was also no association between children waking up at night and the postnatal mood of their mothers. The results of the study were published in the December issue of Pediatrics.

How Was the Study Conducted?

The scientists focused on analyzing information from past studies conducted in Canada about maternal adversity, vulnerability, and longitudinal birth cohort studies about neurodevelopmental trajectories in infancy and risk factors affecting those trajectories. The researchers have gathered information and analyzed almost 400 babies at six months old, and more than 350 infants at a year old. According to mothers’ reports, 38% of infants who were six months old were not sleeping consecutively from 6 to 8 hours per night. Further analyzes show that more than 50% of babies older than six months, but younger than a year weren’t getting eight hours of sleep without waking up. Lastly, around 40% of 12 months old infants weren’t sleeping straight at night from six to eight hours. Although there is no link between children waking up at night and the postnatal mood of their mothers, babies that get less consecutive sleep tend to breastfeed more. Breastfeeding is beneficial both for the mothers and their babies.

A “Gold Standard” Revision

In Western nations, sleeping through the night between six to twelve months old is considered the “gold standard”, and many professionals propose behavioral sleep training at an early age. Behavioral sleep training is well received among parents and very popular in Western countries. However, the lead author of the study, Marie-Hélène Pennestri from CIUSSS-NIM believe that the findings of her team won’t only allay some parental worries, but also lead to a revision of the “gold standard”. Dr. Pennestri advises parents to educate themselves on the normal development of infants, including the development of their sleep-wake cycles, and not to focus only on methods and interventions when sleep problems arise.

Improving the quality of your sleep involves more than just simple changes like setting a consistent bedtime, creating a cozy sleep environment, and limiting naps during the day. To genuinely enhance your sleep and develop good sleep habits, a significant lifestyle overhaul is often necessary. Beyond quick fixes like minimizing screen time before sleep, integrating certain core habits into your daily life takes time and persistence to see benefits. Among these, the food and nutrients you consume play a pivotal role. Our research shows that dietary choices are one of the most overlooked yet critical elements of sleep hygiene. However, embracing a healthy diet can greatly improve your sleep quality.

We are well aware that food provides almost everything we need to live a happy, healthy and productive life. Eating certain foods can give us energy, strengthen our immune system, enhance our cognitive functions, make our bones stronger, heal wounds, and much more. Still, when it comes to sleep, we rarely think about the importance of healthy eating. Food can have amazing benefits in helping you fall asleep and wake up refreshed every day. However, you should also be aware that some foods can disrupt your sleep. Below is a list of the best and worst foods for sleep, as well as some useful dietary considerations you should implement if you struggle with acid reflux disease and insomnia.

Foods that Help You Sleep through the Night

In food, you can find four main vitamins and minerals that promote better sleep. These vitamin and minerals are tryptophan, magnesium, calcium, vitamin B6, carbohydrates and melatonin. Some vitamins and minerals that can be found in food help the body to produce melatonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates your sleep and wake patterns. In the evening, or close to bedtime, melatonin production increases and signalizes your body and brain that it’s time for sleep. In the morning, melatonin production naturally decreases, signalizing your mind that it’s time to wake up. Although most of the vitamins and minerals we mentioned are available as OTC supplements, it’s much better and more effective to get them from the foods you eat.

Why are Tryptophan-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a natural precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is later converted to melatonin, a neurotransmitter vital for regulating sleep. The most significant source of tryptophan is dairy products, eggs, poultry, and seafood. Since most proteins are rich in tryptophan, they should be easy to remember. If you are wondering what to eat at night when hungry, these are always a good choice for a bedtime snack. Foods rich in tryptophan (protein) are also one of the best foods to eat at night for weight loss.

Why are Carbohydrate-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Carbohydrates promote better sleep because they facilitate the production of tryptophan. Studies show that pairing carbohydrates with a healthy fat can make you sleepy. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that carbohydrate-rich foods with a high glycemic index make you fall asleep faster. Carbohydrates are mostly found in bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes.

Why are Calcium-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Calcium not only helps you fall asleep faster but also helps you to stay asleep. This mineral promotes better sleep by assisting the brain in making melatonin. A lack of calcium can cause you to wake in the middle of the night and experience difficulties returning to sleep. Calcium-rich diets can help you alleviate the symptoms of insomnia. This mineral isn’t exclusive to dairy products, and can also be found in dark leafy greens. Dairy products are considered one of the best sleep inducers because they contain both tryptophan and calcium.

Why are Magnesium-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Magnesium is a very powerful mineral that is a natural relaxant and helps to deactivate adrenaline. Since it has a relaxing effect on your body and mind, it can help us to unwind and fall asleep faster. A lack of magnesium may cause both sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia. High sources or magnesium are also considered one of the best anti insomnia food and they can be found in foods such as dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, avocado, fish and wheat germ.

Why are Melatonin-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Melatonin functions both as a hormone and a neurotransmitter. The pineal gland produces it, and it’s naturally regulated by light. Our body naturally produces melatonin, but it can also be found in many foods. What foods are high in melatonin? Mostly fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds.

According to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, cherries are best fruit to eat before bed. Drinking 1 cup of tart cherry juice twice a day can reduce insomnia. Some studies also indicated that consuming walnuts may increase the overall levels of melatonin in your blood.

Why are B6-Rich Foods Good for Sleep?

Simply put, it helps the body to create neurotransmitters that further help the body to produce melatonin. Lack of vitamin B6 can lower the levels of serotonin in the body, and as a consequence, cause insomnia or other sleep disruptions. Highest sources of B6 are found in mean and fish, sunflower seeds, pistachio nuts, and fruits. One of the many uses of avocados is to induce sleep. Apart from avocado, bananas can also help you fall asleep.

Drinks that Help You Sleep

Apart from food, certain beverages can help you snooze better and without experiencing any disruptions. How to get to sleep when you can’t? The following drinks contain essential vitamins and minerals that promote better shuteye.

– Warm milk

– Almond milk

– Valerian tea

– Chamomile tea

– Tart cherry juice

– Passion fruit tea

– Peppermint tea

Can Drinking Milk before Bed Help You Sleep Better?

When you were a kid, your mother probably gave you a glass of warm milk before bed to help you sleep better. Although this may sound like old wives’ tale, it’s not. Studies have shown that drinking milk before bed can really help you snooze better because milk is rich in tryptophan and calcium. While tryptophan helps you to fall asleep, calcium makes sure you stay asleep during the entire night. The mere routine of drinking milk before bed also has an effect, because, over time, your brain starts associating this activity with sleep. Milk is the ultimate food for deep sleep. A warm cup of tea can also help to relax you and induce sleep.

Foods that Keep You Awake

Just as some foods and drinks can help you to sleep better, there are also foods and beverages you need to avoid before bedtime because they may rob you of sleep. Many of the foods that are on our list of foods that prevent sleep are healthy for you to eat, but are not recommended to be consumed before bed because they can disrupt sleep.

Foods and Drinks That Contain Caffeine

Coffee and energy drinks can give you a boost of energy when you are really feeling tired. However, since caffeinated beverages keep your mind active, you should avoid them after lunch and especially near bedtime.  Foods such as dark chocolate are also high in caffeine and should be avoided late in the day.

Spicy Foods

Spicy food is very healthy and often delicious, but eating it close to bedtime is not a good idea because it may cause indigestion, heartburn and acid reflux. Heartburn gets even worse when you are lying down. Researchers believe that spicy food disrupts sleep because it contains capsaicin (typically found in chili peppers) that increases your internal body temperature. In order to fall asleep, your body temperature needs to be a bit lower than normal. Spicy foods also contain more fat which makes it harder for your body to process. Due to this, your body will focus on digestion instead of helping your brain to fall asleep.

Alcohol

Many people believe that alcohol can help you to fall asleep by making you feel drowsy. There are no alcoholic drinks that can help you sleep. However, although it can make you feel drowsy, and even if you fall asleep faster than usual, alcohol disrupts sleep, and it may prevent you from entering the deep stage of sleep.

Fatty Foods

Foods that are high in fat can disrupt sleep and your circadian rhythm. Researchers explain that a high fat diet disrupts the levels of orexin in your body, one of the neurotransmitters that help regulate your sleep and wake cycle. As a result, you will be sleepier during the day and hungrier at night. Consuming too many foods that are high in saturated fat may cause poor, fragmented sleep. Fat, apart from triggering digestion, also builds up the stomach acids, causing heartburn or acid reflux. Foods high in protein can disrupt sleep in the same manner as fatty foods.

Sugary Desserts and Junk Foods

Junk food will not only cause weight gain but may also disturb your sleep. Although these are the foods that make you sleepy after lunch, it doesn’t mean it can induce a healthy sleep. When you eat too much junk food or sugary desserts, your digestive system will not just spend the entire night breaking it down but over time, those foods will trigger late-night cravings.

Heavy Meals before Bedtime

Even if your diet is balanced and healthy, you should always avoid heavy meals close to bedtime. If you feel hungry close to bedtime, it is best to get a light snack such as a bowl of cereal, cheese, and crackers, or peanut butter on toast. These foods will induce sleep because they are rich in tryptophan and calcium. Apart from avoiding heavy meals, you should also avoid foods that contain water as well as drinking too much fluid close to bedtime. Watermelon and celery are natural diuretics, and consuming them before bedtime will lead to multiple unwanted bathroom trips.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Sleep

Symptoms of GERD usually worsen during the night. Acid reflux occurs when the stomach acid splashes back into your throat, causing heartburn, nighttime asthma, and difficulty swallowing. Lying down in bed with a full stomach will make things even worse. To alleviate the symptoms of GERD, apart from adjusting your sleeping position, you should also change your diet. For example, the largest meal you eat during the day should be at lunchtime, and you mustn’t eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. Caffeine, alcohol, and hot spices are foods that can trigger acid reflux symptoms and should definitely be avoided.

Sleep Problems and Diet

If you have troubles falling asleep, or staying asleep at night, you have to cut down on all foods and drinks that may disturb sleep. It’s important to avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugary and junk food particularly. Your dinner should be light and made of foods that are rich in carbohydrates and tryptophan. For example, eat a bowl of cereal, some yogurt or drink a warm glass of milk with honey. These light snacks should relax you and help you fall asleep, especially if they become a regular part of your bedtime routine. For proper sleep, it is best not to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. It’s never a good idea to go to bed with a full stomach, especially if you have insomnia or other sleep issues.

If you practice good sleep hygiene and follow the recommended eating tips, but still experience sleep problems, you could be suffering from a sleep disorder. In this case, it is best to visit your physician or contact a sleep center to help you.

Numerous individuals find solace in music, particularly using it as a tool to transition into sleep after a stressful day. In the past, the benefits of music for promoting sleep lacked scientific evidence. However, new research conducted by Tabitha Trahan at the University of Sheffield, UK has now provided solid proof that music indeed has the capability to facilitate sleep and protect against different types of disruptions that might interfere with it.

As we all are aware of, sleep loss is a severe problem that not only affects our physical and mental health but also has physical and economic consequences for the entire population and state. Research conducted by Tabitha Trahan indicates that music may serve as a cheap and completely natural (non-pharmaceutical) way to address our sleeping problems. The study required the participants to complete an online survey.  The online poll scored musicality, sleep habits and required participants to openly reply what music helps them to fall asleep and why. The results were published in PLOS ONE, an open-access scientific journal, and clearly suggest many people in the UK use music as a sleep aid. This study helped to understand why people use music as a sleep aid and what music they believe work to address sleep problems.

In total, the respondents identified and described 14 musical genres comprising of 545 artists that help them to fall asleep. An interesting fact is that respondents that don’t have any sleep problems also use music in their everyday life to improve the quality of their sleep. Younger people with higher musical engagement are more likely to use music as a sleep aid. Based on open-text replies, the participants believe music both stimulates sleep and blocks internal or external sleep disruptors. Internal sleep disruptors can be described as anxiety, while external ones most likely involve noise.

The study wasn’t focused on drawing conclusions about music’s physiological and psychological effects and its effects on sleep but was instead aimed to investigate the participants’ belief about how music helped them sleep. Since the participants of the study were self-selected, it may be possible that the respondents were biased toward music users. However, the study still provides vital information and evidence that people use diverse types of music as a sleep aid. Music as a sleep aid isn’t only used for relaxation, but also for masking noise or unpleasant sounds, due to habit, passion for music, and lastly, mental distraction. Based on people’s motivation to reach for music as a sleep aid, we can also understand their reasons for finding it so compelling.

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A study carried out by Rice University, and Northwestern University has indicated that individuals who have recently lost a partner have a higher risk or experiencing sleep disturbances that may particularly bad for their heart.  Grief leads to sleep disruptions that aggravate levels of inflammation in the body and increase the risk for cardiovascular illness.

The study is a part of a much larger project called HEART, and its results were published in Psychosomatic Medicine. In this research, scientists have compared analyzed the sleep habits and sleep disturbances of recently widowed people. Results of the study indicate that sleep disturbances and inflammation were 2 to 3 times higher in recent widows and widowers. The level of inflammation in the body was measured by measuring the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Proinflammatory cytokines are well-known as short-term fighters of a disease, but they are also linked to long-term risk for severe health problems such as heart disease.

One of the authors of the study, Diana Chirinos, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, started exploring this topic in her postdoctoral studies at the Rice Academy, and found out that bereaved individuals are overall more affected by the negative effects of poor sleep than people who are not grieving at the moment. The death of a spouse is as a very stressful event and requires a lot of time and emotional strength in order to be handled. It is entirely reasonable to experience sleep disturbances at that time. However, poor sleep is another major stress for the body. When you add poor sleep to an already stressful situation, you are doubling the stressor. As a result, your immune system will become over-activated and raise the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in your body.

Some studies in the past already showed that widowed people had higher levels of inflammation in their body and revealed that they are at a 41% higher risk of mortality. However, an interesting fact is that 53% of this increased risk is due to heart disease. Diana Chirinos and her fellow researchers wanted to identify the specific cause. This study has shown that grief is not the primary cause of this increased risk, but the sleep disruptions that arise from that grief.

Chris Fagundes, the principal investigator for Project HEART, said that this study is very important because it reveals how human activities and certain behaviors affect inflammation and how grief can impact our health. Further research aims to help come up with effective health interventions for those who have recently experienced a loss.

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A new study, engaging 177,000 young learners, carried out by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, has identified a link between a lack of adequate sleep in kids and teenagers, and a detrimental way of living that includes poor dietary choices and heightened usage of digital screens.

The results of the study specifically link improper sleep with unhealthy eating habits such as skipping breakfast, fast-food consumption and consuming sweets on a daily basis. Poor sleep is also associated with increased screen time and being overweight or obese. The results were published in the October issues of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The senior author of the study, Labros Sidossis, Ph.D. at the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, says that 40% of children in the study slept significantly less than recommended. Sleep experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend that children aged from 6 to 12 must sleep 9 to 12 hours per night on a regular basis. Teenagers aged 13 to 18 require 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Sleeping less than the recommended amount may jeopardize children’s health. Poor sleep and bad sleeping habits were linked to poor dietary habits, obesity and increased screen time in both genders.

The participants of the study were required to complete electronic surveys at school which included providing information on their dietary habits, typical sleeping hours, physical activity, and sedentary activities. The participants of the study were children aged from 8 to 17. The results of the study show that children and teens who reported sleep less than 9 or 8 hours per night also had lower physical activity. Their physical education teachers obtained physical activity status and anthropometric fitness measurements.

Dr. Sidossis was surprised that aerobic fitness was associated with children’s sleep habits. Simply explained, better sleep habits are associated with higher levels of aerobic fitness. Since adequate sleep results in higher energy levels during the day, researchers believe that kids who sleep well are more physically active during the day. Poor sleep among school-aged children is a severe health problem in Westernized societies, and all findings aim to help parents, teachers and health professionals to identify particular sleeping problems and successfully promote strategies that will encourage healthier sleeping patterns and better sleeping habits.

Recent research has revealed that the mechanism which regulates sleep in fruit flies includes a component often found in energy drinks. Intriguingly, fruit flies exhibit a number of similarities to humans. They are active during the day and rest at night, just like humans, and they show sleep behaviors that are remarkably similar to those observed in humans. The research carried out at the Florida Atlantic University identified a new gene and the way it controls sleep in fruit flies through the regulation of taurine – an ingredient frequently present in energy drinks. Taurine also plays a significant role in the human brain, where its concentration rises in the blood and urine of people who are sleep deprived.

Every individual is aware of the importance of sleep for our physical and mental wellbeing. Rest is vital for immune function, metabolism, brain and muscle repair, learning and memory. Unfortunately, 30% of people will experience a sleep disorder throughout their life. All sleep disorders, no matter how harmless they seem, should be taken seriously because they are associated with a number of severe diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

In the past, scientists have believed that the glial cells only support neurons within the brain. However, new studies have revealed that these cells are essential for sleep regulation. The research teams of Florida Atlantic University and McGill University in Quebec had studied the fruit fly and discovered that glial cells and their ability to manage taurine are vital for regulating sleep. The fruit fly was chosen because it shares 75% of genes that cause various illnesses in humans, and although because we display similar behavioral and physiological characteristics of sleep. The study aimed to identify new genes that affect sleep and wakefulness in fruit flies. Scientists have uncovered a gene that is responsible for the membrane transport protein. This gene is called excitatory amino acid transporter 2 or shortly Eaat2.

Eaat2 increases wakefulness in fruit flies and actually limits their length and intensity of sleep. Sleep is regulated by controlling the movement of taurine into the glia. We already know that taurine is elevated in the blood and urine of sleep-deprived individuals, but we don’t know if taurine levels change after sleep deprivation. The authors of the study also found that disruption of Eaat2 in fruit flies causes excessive daytime sleepiness.

Since more than 70 millions of Americans suffer from sleep disorders, this kind of research is essential to raise awareness of the importance of sleep deprivation as a global issue and about understanding the fundamental mechanism of sleep. The identification of Eaat2 as a sleep regulator will help scientists to study further sleep regulation, sleep disorder treatment, and changes in metabolism that depend on sleep.

The scientists found that Eaat2 works only in specific glial cells of the fly brain. Glial cells play an important regulatory role and don’t just control the wakefulness of the fly, but also circadian rhythms. As mentioned before, Eaat2 regulates sleep by transporting taurine. Increased levels of taurine in the brain lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, and this claim was confirmed by an individual experiment which involved feeding fruit flies taurine. Future research aims to discover how transport of taurine to and from glial cells affects sleep in humans.

Recent research underscores the critical role of good sleep practices in mental health. Experts in medicine and science have identified links between sleep disorders and a range of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, dementia, and brain injuries. Previously, these sleep problems were often considered just symptoms of pre-existing mental health conditions, yet today’s findings suggest that poor sleep can actually exacerbate neurological disorders. This information comes from research presented by the Society for Neuroscience during their yearly gathering on November 5th, 2018. The Society for Neuroscience is renowned as a leading and extensive source for news related to neuroscience and mental health.

The study aims to understand better the brain mechanisms linked to disrupted sleep and irregular circadian rhythms, and hopefully, discover new ways to prevent and alleviate disorders that are affected by irregular circadian rhythms such as anxiety, depression, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Even though scientists still don’t have a clear understanding of how sleep exacerbates certain brain disorders, the research emphasizes the importance of prioritizing healthy and regular sleep.

At the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, researchers have, among other topics, studied and presented the impact of concussions after more extended periods of sleep deprivation, and found out that brain injuries negatively affect circadian rhythms. The brain mechanisms which may worsen anxiety in sleep-deprived individuals were also presented. More research has to be conducted, but studies so far indicate that deep slow-wave sleep is required to calm the overactive regions of the mind. Lastly, neuroscientists have discovered that astrocytes, a circadian clock gene, play an important role in Alzheimer’s pathology. Disruption of the circadian rhythm on a cellular level can lead to neuroinflammation and exacerbate mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

Among other findings, all studies presented at this year’s annual meeting help us understand why sleep is disrupted in so many patients suffering from mental or brain issues. Treatments that regulate circadian rhythms, such as sleep-focused therapies may be beneficial in preventing a number of brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and anxiety. This furthermore emphasizes the vital role of sleep for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Considering the significant amount of time teenagers devote to digital gadgets such as computers and smartphones, anxiety has heightened among parents, guardians, and policymakers regarding the effects of these digital activities on personal health. Earlier studies have demonstrated that insufficient sleep affects 50 to 90% of school-aged children, attributing this issue to the use of technology and excessive exposure to screens. However, new research from the University of Oxford‘s Oxford Internet Institute suggests that the amount of time spent in front of screens might have little to no effect on the sleep quality of young individuals.

The research was conducted by examining data collected from the United States’ 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health and published in the Journal of Pediatrics. In this survey, parents have provided lots of information about themselves, their children and household. The findings indicate that there is no significant relationship between sleep and children’s screen-time.

A link between screen time and sleep in children exists, but it’s simply too small to make a difference in kids’ sleep. Even 8 hours of screen time a day doesn’t make a significant impact on school-aged children’s sleep. Other known factors, such as early morning classes have a more significant impact on sleep. The analysis in the study indicated that family habits and household surroundings are associated not only with sleep outcomes but also with the amount of screen-time a child spends every day. Dr. Przybylski, the lead author of the study, emphasizes the importance of focusing on bedtime routines and regular sleep patterns for healthy and undisturbed sleep. Overall, he claims implementing healthy sleeping habits is more efficient for getting proper rest on a daily basis than thinking being exposed to screens themselves disrupts sleep.

This study aims to provide parents with a realistic foundation for looking at the impact of electronics and screen time on sleep, and to compare them with other interventions on sleep. Further studies will try to identify the mechanisms that link digital screens to sleep. Researchers will specifically be examining technologies that emit blue light that has been linked to many sleep problems. However, although there are studies that indicate blue light might disturb sleep, there is still no clear evidence that it plays a significant causal role. Since technology such as computers, TVs, and smartphones are here to stay, it’s vital for scientists to conduct research and find out how all that tech actually affects us, and the best ways to limit its harmful effects.

A new research article in the Journal of Sleep Research suggests that the age-old advice of “sleeping on it” when facing a decision is indeed sound guidance. This study suggests that a daytime nap can help people process information that isn’t immediately clear to the waking mind. The study observed participants’ brain activity and responses before and after they took a short nap. The results indicate that a brief period of sleep helps people better weigh the pros and cons when dealing with difficult decisions.

The study was conducted at the University of Bristol, and the Medical Research Council founded it. The study aimed to identify whether short sleep can help us process unconscious information, and how that affects our behavior and reaction time. The results reveal a significant benefit of day-time naps on cognitive brain function and suggest our mind can process information that we are not consciously aware of during those naps.

Previous studies showed that sleep helps with problem-solving. However, it’s not clear if some kind of mental process is required before or during shuteye in order for sleep to help problem-solving. Researchers have noticed that our brain processes information at a subliminal level within the mind, to the extent the entire process is not conscious. The electrical activity naturally produced in the brain was measured using an EEG before and after a nap, and the results suggest that sleep (not the state of wakefulness) improves processing speed in tasks where information is hidden or hard to grasp. Rest doesn’t enhance processing speed in simple, control tasks, etc.

We already know that sleep positively affects the process of acquiring knowledge and recall of information, and we also know that snoozing improves and strengthens our memory. However, from this study, we can also conclude that naps and sleep can also improve our responses and help us to process information faster. Dr. LizCoulthard from the University of Bristol Medical School announced further research that will aim to study larger samples and find out more about the underlying neural mechanisms. Researchers are also interested in finding out see if and how the results differ between ages.

Researchers at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University have recently concluded a study showing that higher instances of daytime sleepiness are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in the future. This comprehensive study analyzed data collected from senior citizens, finding that those who suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness are nearly three times as likely to have brain deposits of beta-amyloid. This brain protein, associated with memory loss, is a key marker for Alzheimer’s disease.

The results of the study were published in September 2018 in the journal SLEEP. This study contributes to other evidence that poor sleep encourages the development of dementia, and also indicates that proper and regular rest may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Spira, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that factors such as diet, exercise, and cognitive activity severely contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s. The results of their study indicate that poor sleep may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease just as above mentioned factors. Therefore, treating sleep issues may also help avoid these adverse long-term outcomes.

The study used data from a long-term study that started in 1958 and has gathered sleep data about thousands of volunteers. As part of the study, volunteers had to fill a questionnaire between 1991 and 2000 and answer yes or no to the following questions:

• Do you often feel drowsy or fall asleep during the daytime when you want to be awake?
• Do you nap?
• How much do your nap? (daily, 1-2 times a week,3-5 times a week, rarely or never)

In 1994, some participants also received neuroimaging assessments. In 2005 some subjects received PET scans by using PiB (Pittsburgh compound B). PiB can identify beta-amyloid plaques in neuronal tissue, also known as an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

The scientists were able to identify 123 participants of the study who answered the earlier questions and had a PET scan with PiB 16 years later. This data was analyzed again to see if there was any correlation with their napping habits or daytime sleepiness, and they found out all 123 participants were positive for beta-amyloid deposition in their brains.

After adjusting the demographic factors that could influence daytime sleepiness, the results showed that people are sleepy during the day are 2.75 times more likely to have a beta-amyloid deposition in the brain than those who don’t.

Scientists still don’t know how daytime sleepiness is associated with the deposition of beta-amyloid protein. Most likely, sleepiness somehow triggers this protein to form in the brain. It’s even possible that the amyloid plaques were present at the time of sleep assessment, and that they are the ones that cause the sleepiness.

Since there is still no cure for Alzheimer’s, we have to do our best to prevent it. If prioritizing is one of the ways to prevent or slow down this severe condition, then we should definitely focus on getting more quality rest.