Scientists have discovered how the mechanism of long-term memory depends on sleep, or rather, its lack.
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A group of scientists from the University of Michigan Medical School conducted an experiment with rats and found that even one sleepless night can greatly affect memory, both in the short and long term, writes Nature.
In principle, we already knew: remember how difficult it is to concentrate and remember something if you haven’t slept at night. Even if this something is very well instilled in the brain (hello, students who prefer to study at night before the exam!).
But scientists have discovered how the mechanism of long-term memory depends on sleep, or rather, on the lack of it. During the day, when a person is awake, special neurons are activated that create a “pulse” in the hippocampus, which helps to remember events. If sleep is normal and sufficient, at night these pulses transform short-term memories into long-term memories. Moreover, this happens during the deep sleep phase. And when there is no sleep at all or there are not enough deep sleep phases, then this transformation suffers.
This is what scientists have actually discovered in rats: some were allowed to sleep normally, while others were disturbed. In the group of those who slept poorly, they examined the hippocampus and were surprised: the heart rate did not decrease, some even had more. But they were much less organized, i.e. desynchronized and much weaker. This is how scientists saw the mechanism of memory impairment due to lack of sleep.
But what is offensive: Even after several days of normal sleep, in rats with previously disturbed sleep, neuronal pulsations did not recover to normal levels.
So, for a good memory, not only sleep itself is important, but also its continuity and consistency. That is why studying the night before an exam is ineffective.
BY THE WAY
Taking a hot bath before bed will help you sleep better.
On hot days, it is best to take cold showers all the time. In fact, before going to bed, it is best to take a hot shower or bath so that the water temperature is between 40 and 42 degrees.
Scientists from the University of Texas conducted a meta-analysis of several studies and decided that a hot bath or shower has a beneficial effect on sleep quality. And specifically in the long term. It also speeds up falling asleep. Scientists believe that this is due to the uniform warming of the entire body, which gives a feeling of comfort and peace.
And in the heat this is also important because, by warming up from the outside, the body starts to try to cool itself quickly from the inside, trying to lower the body temperature. And we know that it is much better to sleep outdoors.
And our expert, therapist and neurologist Iolanta Lalite gave you some simple tips that will help you cope with hot nights, for example, sleeping on the floor, covered with a damp sheet.
