People who spend half their time sleeping at night are at risk of disrupting the normal functioning of brain cells, which inevitably leads to memory impairment, American researchers warn.
A series of studies presented at the annual conference of the Neuroscience Society of Neurology 2012 in New Orleans highlighted the important role of sleep in the mental and physical health of a person.
Every fifth adult American shows signs of chronic sleep deprivation, which lead to common problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and memory problems.
Other discoveries in the field of sleep research were also brought to the court of scientists:
- A state of drowsiness disrupts the coordinated activity of important parts of the brain. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, a dysfunction of this system is also observed.
- Lack of sleep brings chaos to the process of exchanging information between the hippocampus, which is vital for memory, and other areas of the brain.
- In a study conducted on mice, it was noticed that memories associated with danger were weakened during sleep, and this indicates new prospects in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Given the results of these studies, it's hard to underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep,” said Dr. Clifford Saper of Harvard Medical School, a sleep specialist. “Research into brain imaging processes and behavioral research helps identify areas of the brain that are blocked or deformed due to lack of sleep, as well as implications for memory, learning, and mental health.”
