UserID/KID:
Password:
Forgot UserID/KID or Password?
Enter your 13 digit KID #:
Forgot
KID#
?
Wellness Quote
First Name:
Last Name:
Company Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Phone #:
Email:
Number of Employees:
Comments:
Wellness Articles
Health Fairs
Worksite Wellness
Corporate Wellness Program
Employees Wellness
Employees Health
Corporate Wellness
Employee Health Insurance
Employee Wellness
Employee Health Benefits
Company Wellness
Workplace Wellness
Employee Health Care
Corporate Healthcare
Employee Fitness
Health Wellness Program
Wellness Companies
Corporate Health Care
Employee Wellness Programs
Wellness In The Workplace
Workplace Fitness
Employee Health Program
Health And Wellness Program
Workplace Health & Wellness
Employee Wellness Program
Workplace Health & Wellness
Fitness Equipment
Wellness
Wellness Health
Health and Wellness
Health Program
Wellness Company
emWave
Health
Employee Incentive
Health Advocate
Health Video
Health Promotion
Swine Flu
Wellness Programs
Employee Health
Corporate Fitness
Corporate Health
Biometric Testing
Wellness Brochures
Health Stations
Free Health Promotion
1-499 Employees
Wellness Proposal
500+ Employees
Benefits Brokers
All Companies
Request a quote
Health Promotion Emails
Stay informed about health
Health Station
The next generation HS
KAM System
Kinetic Activity Monitor
Biometric Testing
Learn about your health
See all products and services
Vitamin D Improves Blood Sugar in Diabetics may Pr...
Hope For Alzheimers Disease
Muscle Pain From Workout Reduced with Ginger
See more health articles
Too Little Sleep May Decrease Your Brain Power
March 18, 2010: 0 comment(s)
Share
|
Experts report the average adult needs around seven hours of sleep each night, but most of us sleep six hours or less using that extra time to finish up projects for work or pursue our own special interests. Now sleep scientists are wondering if the brain pays a price when we cheat on sleep and according to new research on how the brain learns, the answer is yes.
University of California, Berkeley assistant professor, Matthew Walker, said of our brain’s capacity to learn, “Sleep not only rights the wrong of prolonged wakefulness but, at a neurocognitive level, it moves you beyond where you were before you took a nap.”
Other research shows that all night study sessions can cause areas of the brain to shut down due to sleep deprivation and the person Ioses 40% of his ability to learn new facts. Burning the midnight oil while facing a deadline at work may actually be working against you.
In learning new facts, an area of our brain, the hippocampus, temporarily stores the information until we sleep when it is placed more permanently in the pre-frontal cortex. Walker uses a metaphor to explain, “It’s as though the e-mail inbox in your hippocampus is full and, until you sleep and clear out those fact e-mails, you’re not going to receive any more mail. It’s just going to bounce until you sleep and move it into another folder.”
He divided 39 healthy young adults into two groups. They were given a task at noon meant to tax the hippocampus and require remembering new facts. The groups performed equally. Then at 2pm one group took a 90minute nap. Again, at 6pm both groups underwent new learning. The nap group performed significantly better and had a greater capacity for learning.
Walker said, “These findings reinforce the researchers’ hypothesis that sleep is needed to clear the brain’s short-term memory storage and make room for new information.”
Rather than recommending a certain length of nap, Walker and his team have discovered that Stage 2 non-REM sleep must be reached. This is the stage of sleep where brainpower is boosted and memory moves into a more permanent location. It is also the stage between deep sleep (non-REM) and the dream state (REM).
Walker stated, “I can’t imagine Mother Nature would have us spend 50% of the night going from one sleep stage to another for no reason. Sleep is sophisticated. It acts locally to give us what we need.”
Continued sleep research may uncover reasons why many adults see a decrease in their ability to learn as they age. It may also contribute to understanding Alzheimer’s disease.
Share
|
Comments (Scroll to the end to leave a comment)
No comments have been submitted for this article.
Want to leave a comment?
Please login first.
userID/KID#:
password:
Related Articles
Vitamin D Improves Blood Sugar in Diabetics may Prevent Disease
Hope For Alzheimers Disease
Muscle Pain From Workout Reduced with Ginger
Monitoring of Low-Risk Prostate Cancer May Be The Best Treatment
New Version of Old Drug Gives Hope For Treating Rosacea
Most Recent Articles
Vitamin D Improves Blood Sugar in Diabetics may Prevent Disease
Hope For Alzheimers Disease
Muscle Pain From Workout Reduced with Ginger
Best Workout For Back Pain Is Weight Training
Monitoring of Low-Risk Prostate Cancer May Be The Best Treatment
More Popular Articles
Do Men or Women Need More Sleep?
6 Reasons Why You Should Drink Water
Vitamin D and Weight Loss Success
Nine Risk Factors Causing Rise in Global Cancer Deaths
Scientists Show Sugar is Addictive
Did You Know That Physical Activity Helps Sleep?
Gloomy Weather Linked to Depression
Shed Sugar to Purge Pounds
How to Keep Your Memory and Avoid Dementia
Are the Risks of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Worth It
The Missing Link Between Diabetes and Obesity
Is Heartburn Making Your Life Miserable
Eat Your Veggies and Prevent Cancer
Nutritional Bonus Revealed In Whole Fruit
Kidney Stones Affect Heart Disease
Shortcuts
News & Announcements
Success Stories
January 2009 Announcements
February 2009 Announcements
March 2009 Announcements
April 2009 Announcements
Resources
Request FREE Wellness Proposal
Benefits Brokers
Employers
HR Directors
Wellness Coordinators
Download Brochures
Announcements
RSS Feed
Blog
Products & Services
Wellness Score
Incentives
Health Risk Appraisal (HRA)
Biometric Testing
KAM System
Health Station
Health Videos
Health Statistics
Telehealth
Health Advocates
Promotional Materials
Census Manager
emWave® Stress System
Stress Busters Challenge