Sleep Studies

We’ve all witnessed the classic toddler meltdown in the supermarket or at the mall. Experienced parents lock eyes and nod, murmuring, “Somebody needs a nap.” Yet that automatic recognition of the impact lack of sleep has on a small child is all too frequently lacking in adults who are experiencing the same kind of need. Not only do we as grownups have a peculiar tendency to take pride in the amount of sleep that we cheat ourselves of, but we also refuse to acknowledge the fact that it has an affect on the way that we perform, react or feel. But now a study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of California at Berkeley has made it extremely clear that sleep deprivation has a massive effect on the way that the brain reacts to stimuli, and it’s not a change for the better. Continue reading →

The image of sleepwalking has often been somewhat comedic. Whether your familiarity with the issue comes from childhood episodes and tales that your parents told of you walking into the room muttering nonsense and clutching a pillow, or from nonsensical cartoon scenes in which sleepwalkers make their way through a scene with their arms outstretched, helping themselves to food in the refrigerator and getting into all sorts of hijinks, the truth is that there is a lot more to it, and for those who suffer from the sleeping disorder there is nothing to laugh about. Continue reading →

If you ever find yourself wondering about just how big a difference a comfortable bed can make in your life, you might want to give consideration to a study that was recently conducted by anthropologist David Samson of Duke University and Robert Shumaker of Indiana University in Bloomington. The two colleagues set out to investigate exactly why some of our primate relatives sleep soundly through the night, while others sleep fitfully and restlessly. Continue reading →

We all know that when we’re dead tired, a quick cat nap can make all the difference in how we feel. But now a new study says that naps serve a far greater purpose and provide a bigger benefit than in simply leaving us feeling refreshed. Researchers from Saarland University in Germany have just completed a study that revealed that a short nap taken in the middle of the day can have a profound impact on our ability to remember. Continue reading →

A groundbreaking study on sleep, memory and the brain has just been completed by Karim Benchenane and his colleagues at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution in Paris, France. Building on the discovery that won them a Nobel prize last year, the group has successfully created false memories into the minds of sleeping mice, spurring hopes that the same method might someday be used to assist humans who suffer from memory problems or who have lived through traumatic events. Continue reading →