You may have probably heard or read somewhere that lack of sleep is likely to be tied up with obesity and today we find an interesting highlight that may sort of explain the whole issue. Ordinarily, lack of sleep may make you think you are forced to eat less with the notion that you would prefer to sleep than eat. But an experiment proved otherwise.

Apparently the trick was done using some photos of food on 12 normally weighted men. They did not sleep and after some scans showed a high level of activity that is associated with hunger. They were reportedly hungrier even without sleep compared to the ones who got some nap.

The heightened desire to eat is what the scientists call “Hedonic Stimulus Processing”. So if you want some good advice, try to get some sleep and forget that notion of sleeping over eating when needed. It may make a difference in calories, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

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When it comes to sleeping better, rocking or swaying could be of great help. This seems to be a great way for babies to sleep, especially when they are in swayable cribs but based on a study, adults can too with the help of some rocking items like perhaps a hammock.

Thanks to some researchers, rocking motion was found to help soothe people to getting better sleep. Through studying brainwaves, the scientists were able to finally understand how babies were able to sleep better with rocking cribs so why not with the adults.

Swaying from side to side specifically increased the duration of deep non-dreaming sleep, where the eyes are still, which normally accounts for about half a good night’s sleep. The brainwaves also showed activity typical of deep sleep. The findings from the result showed a “dramatic boosting” of certain types of sleep-related brainwaves associated with rocking.

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There are many ways that can help categorize the sleep quality people have and now you can add another way to do that using brain waves. It seems that some scientists have pinpointed to alpha waves to do the trick, something that emanates from the back of the head of an individual.

Scientists used to think that the wave was subdued and disappeared as a person fell deeper and deeper into sleep. Alpha wave activity may be the brain’s way of keeping people aware of their surroundings during sleep, something which enables people to wake quickly in case of danger, but too much alpha activity might also have a downside if it prevents a good night of sleep.

Whether it is long sleep or not, the manner to which it should be classified leaves a lot to be identified. While these are just tests, let us see if brain waves can indeed make a difference soon when it comes to helping people determine and possibly improve their type of sleep.

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Here is an update for you. It seems that for people who find themselves shouting or crying are most likely to find themselves to develop Parkinson’s disease. This is of course based on finding by scientists who found that people who suffer from REM sleep disturbance.

Normal sleepers are effectively paralysed during REM or rapid eye movement because the brain shuts off the muscles allowing the body to properly rest.

But this doesn’t happen to those with REM disorders, who often act out their dreams with violent movements.

Scientists in Barcelona found that a fifth of those over 60 suffering from the condition went on to develop Parkinson’s, and other degenerative diseases such as Lewy body dementia.

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Having chronic insomnia is not really surprising as far as health issues are concerned but it seems that a new study has discovered that it could very well be three times deadlier. Though the scientists declined to associate insomnia with mortality, it seems quite alarming at how a person’s life would eventually be sped up as far as living is concerned.

Chronic insomnia was defined as experiencing difficulty falling asleep, problems getting back to sleep, awakening repeatedly or waking too early. These symptoms occurred more than five times per month. These findings were presented at an Annual sleep meeting held in Texas.

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It has been common logic for most of us to play some music to sleep and while we sleep. The first is of course to lull us to sleep while the second is to relax us and get our minds as calm as possible. But it seems that the latter seems to do more than that. Playing music while sleeping has been said to improve memory, especially for students who are preparing for an exam or test the next day.

Scientists at Northwestern University report that playing specific sounds while people slept helped them remember more of what they had learned before they fell sleep, to the point where memories of individual facts were enhanced. Playing music while sleeping has been known to reap some rewards. This was normally practiced for babies in the developmental stages. Apparently it works further than that. I wonder if it works on older people too?

Image Credits: NY Daily News

(Source) NY Times

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Dreams have drawn various conclusions. Some say they are subconscious states while others claim they are a parallel straight of awareness. Others call them an emotional state drawn from what we have already encountered prior to sleep while others call it something as an omen. Which is which? There is no specific explanation for dreams. Scientists continue to debate on its frugality. But analyzing dreams is perhaps the closest we can get.

The latest analysis is that of tagging dreams as a physiological. The brain is warming its circuits, anticipating the sights and sounds and emotions of waking. And as always there are objections. Many have their own presumptions and no one is bound to agree to claim that his own findings are false. Which do we believe? One thing is for sure, it is a different state. Some even call it the state where we go when we die. If there is a safe conclusion, it is perhaps the fact that we all have our own beliefs and while science is intervening, you can bet that a lot of debate will continue.

(Source) NY Times

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At times where we find ourselves in the middle of having to make critical decisions concerning work or life, we would often be told to sleep on it. At this state, we can relax our thoughts and gather new ideas, making it all the broader as far as weighing out the pros and cons and that coming up with a final decision.

Many have tried to make judgment when they sleep. Certain factors may come into play when you are unconscious. While it can be a big help, reality has its own share of factors which may not necessarily come up when you sleep. Hence if you want to pass a decision, make sure you are conscious and aware of it.

This is perhaps better than leaving final decisions based on dreams or sub consciousness. In today’s world, reality has to be met with factual moves based on the situation that you may find yourself in.

Unconscious decision-making was thought to be best in certain situations because it is not limited by how much stuff can be shuffled through the mind – a limitation thought to hobble conscious thought. And so, scientists had said the benefits of unconscious thinking are greatest when a decision is complex, with multiple options and attributes.

(Source) Yahoo News

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It has been either a myth or something apparent that the right kind of music would help most people sleep. Now the right type of music normally falls under the category of soft to gentle music, something that will really calm us down and eventually get us snoozing.

There are various explanations made by Japan scientists and it would be great to know what they gathered based on their experiments.

In his limited laboratory experiments, Dr Endo honed a playlist from that third category down to a smaller collection, most of which was played to the Tokyo audience.

However, the audience at the extraordinary mass experiment in sleep-induction in Central Tokyo is still not sure whether Dreams Kaimin was a success or not.

But one firm conclusion was that a lot of men fell asleep as soon as the female vocalist began.

(Source) The Times of India

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Often, we would like to find out for ourselves through research and reading the various origins of why sleep is becoming a growing concern. Apparently, the immediate source for such information would be sleeping books by the specialists such as the “Great Sleep, Reduced Cancer” by Richard Hansler.

“Great Sleep, Reduced Cancer” tells the story of how scientists discovered that the blue rays from common electric lights suppress melatonin, the sleep and cancer-fighting hormone found in humans.

Apparently health is the main concern of sleeping less and with the efforts of specialists through informative compilations such as this book, they can understand better what they are dealing with.

(Source) PR-USA

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However, Darpa scientists are claiming that they have found a drug to eliminate sleepiness:

A nasal spray containing a naturally occurring brain hormone called orexin A reversed the effects of sleep deprivation in monkeys, allowing them to perform like well-rested monkeys on cognitive tests. The discovery’s first application will probably be in treatment of the severe sleep disorder narcolepsy.

The treatment is “a totally new route for increasing arousal, and the new study shows it to be relatively benign,” said Jerome Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a co-author of the paper. “It reduces sleepiness without causing edginess.”

Source: Wired

So much for solving sleep deprivation but it is hard to imagine a person without an ounce of sleep. Drugs are know to help, but this discovery seems to need more support and tests for it to be a good discovery for sleep deprivation.

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