Secret of Good Night's Sleep

(News Today) - It is a mystery that has kept the greatest scientific minds awake at night. Now, in research that will be embraced by millions of bleary-eyed Britons, scientists have worked out the secret of a good night's sleep.

Research shows it is all down to bursts of brainwaves deep in the brain. Those of us who produce the most of these electrical flurries, known as spindles, sleep the most soundly.

The brainwaves are thought be a sign that the mind is hard at work screening out the whine of sirens, the roar of traffic, the banging of doors and other noises that disturb sleep.

Coaxing the brain into generating more spindles could help more people rise refreshed in the morning, say the researchers.

'We wanted to investigate what the brain does to promote stable sleep, even in the face of noise, and why some people are better at staying asleep than others,' said Jeffrey Ellenbogen, of the prestigious Harvard Medical School in the US.

'Our sleeping environments have got increasingly complex and problematic, with all the beeps and boops of our 24/7 modern, crowded lives.

'Our goal is to find brain-based solutions that integrate a sleeping person into their modern environment, such that sleep is maintained even in the face of noises.

'This finding gets us one important step closer to realising that goal.'

Dr Ellenbogen monitored the brain activity of 12 healthy men and women who spent three nights in his sleep laboratory.

The first night was nice and quiet but the next two were nosier and nosier, with 14 different sounds including alarms, traffic and talking played more and more loudly.

Those whose brains produced the most spindles were most immune to the noise, the journal Cell reports.

Spindles, which only appear when we are asleep, are generated by a brain region called the thalamus.

Deep inside the brain, it transmits sounds to other areas of the brain that perceive and react to them.

It is thought that lots of spindles are a sign of a thalamus that is hard at work blocking sounds from being processed - allowing us to sleep well.

In other words, the brain is active even when we are asleep - and the more active the thalamus, the better we sleep.

Dr Ellenbogen, an expert in sleep medicine, said: 'During sleep, our neurons are busy doing very complicated processing, including, this study shows, generating sleep spindles to protect us from being awoken by noises in the environment.'

It is not clear why some people make more spindles than others. But learning more about the phenomenon could lead to more effective sleeping pills.

In the meantime, those anxious to get some shut-eye should invest in good bedding, thick curtains, keep their bedroom cool and avoid exercise before turning in.

They should also try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day - and make others aware of their needs.

'It still doesn't hurt to put up a sign that says 'shhh!',' said Dr Ellenbogen.

Source : kompas

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