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Update Date: 2010/08/10 20:15 (Central News Agency, Taipei, August 10th)
This secret has kept many great scientists awake at night. Now, in a study that will delight millions, scientists have discovered the key to a good night's sleep. Research shows it all comes down to deep brain waves.
The UK's "Daily Mail" website reported today that those who produce the most "spindles" are the best at sleeping soundly through the night.
These brain waves are believed to represent the brain working hard to block out sirens, traffic, knocking, and other noises, allowing us to stay asleep.
Researchers say inducing the brain to produce more spindles will leave us feeling refreshed when we wake up the next morning.
Jeffrey Elenbogen from Harvard Medical School said, "We wanted to find out how the brain keeps us asleep in noisy environments and why some people are better at staying asleep than others."
Elenbogen invited 12 healthy men and women to sleep in his sleep lab for three nights. The first night was peaceful, but the following two nights included increasingly loud pre-recorded noises, such as alarms, traffic, and conversations—14 types in total.
The study, published in the journal "Cell," found that those whose brains produced the most spindles slept the best.
Spindles, which only appear after we fall asleep, are generated by the thalamus. Located deep in the brain, the thalamus is responsible for relaying sounds to other parts of the brain for reception and processing.
It is believed that a high number of spindles indicate the thalamus is working hard to prevent sounds from being processed, allowing us to stay asleep.
In other words, even while we sleep, the brain continues working—and the more active the thalamus, the better we sleep.
Elenbogen, who specializes in sleep therapy, said, "This study shows that even during sleep, our neurons are busy handling complex tasks, including generating sleep spindles, to prevent us from being awakened by surrounding noises."
It remains unclear why some people produce more spindles, but further research into this phenomenon could help develop more effective sleep aids. (Translator: Yang Chaohuan, Central News Agency) 990810
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100810/ 5/ 2auol. html
Key to Good Sleep: More Brain Spindle Waves
This secret has kept many great scientists awake at night. Now, in a study that will delight millions, scientists have discovered the key to a good night's sleep. Research shows it all comes down to deep brain waves.
The UK's "Daily Mail" website reported today that those who produce the most "spindles" are the best at sleeping soundly through the night.
These brain waves are believed to represent the brain working hard to block out sirens, traffic, knocking, and other noises, allowing us to stay asleep.
Researchers say inducing the brain to produce more spindles will leave us feeling refreshed when we wake up the next morning.
Jeffrey Elenbogen from Harvard Medical School said, "We wanted to find out how the brain keeps us asleep in noisy environments and why some people are better at staying asleep than others."
Elenbogen invited 12 healthy men and women to sleep in his sleep lab for three nights. The first night was peaceful, but the following two nights included increasingly loud pre-recorded noises, such as alarms, traffic, and conversations—14 types in total.
The study, published in the journal "Cell," found that those whose brains produced the most spindles slept the best.
Spindles, which only appear after we fall asleep, are generated by the thalamus. Located deep in the brain, the thalamus is responsible for relaying sounds to other parts of the brain for reception and processing.
It is believed that a high number of spindles indicate the thalamus is working hard to prevent sounds from being processed, allowing us to stay asleep.
In other words, even while we sleep, the brain continues working—and the more active the thalamus, the better we sleep.
Elenbogen, who specializes in sleep therapy, said, "This study shows that even during sleep, our neurons are busy handling complex tasks, including generating sleep spindles, to prevent us from being awakened by surrounding noises."
It remains unclear why some people produce more spindles, but further research into this phenomenon could help develop more effective sleep aids. (Translator: Yang Chaohuan, Central News Agency) 990810
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100810/ 5/ 2auol. html