Written by Sara Bozyel
Sleep is substantial to several brain functions and has an influential role in how nerve cells (neurons) communicate with each other [Sandoiu, 2020]. Qualified sleep is necessary as your essential needs. While you sleep, your brain and body stay active and keep working non-stop. According to recent research, sleep removes the toxins that are built up in your brain while you are awake.
The neuroscience of sleep not only explains how sleep helps us learn and forget, but also reveals sleep’s pain-relieving and anti-anxiety effects. For example, a study has shown that a brain area that is associated with pain sensitivity, the somatosensory cortex, is hyperactive in sleep-deprived participants [Sandoiu, 2020]. The findings suggested that lack of sleep interferes with the brain’s pain-processing neural circuits [Brain, (n.d.)]. The same study also found that after a sleepless night, the activity in the nucleus accumbens area of the brain had dispersed. The nucleus accumbens releases a neurotransmitter, dopamine, increasing feelings of pleasure and decreasing pain [Brain, (n.d.)]. Also, it has been found that the brain’s insula, which evaluates pain signals and prepares the pain response, was much more underactive in sleep-deprived people. Sleeplessness (insomnia) stands in the way of the body's own-synthesized painkillers, which evaluate and classify pain signals.
As to the anxiolytic effects of sleep, functional MRI scans and polysomnograms have shown that the medial prefrontal cortex in the brain is a key [Brain, (n.d.)]. Previous research shows that the medial prefrontal cortex helps to calm anxiety and decrease stress levels. In the research, it is expounded that other regions associated with processing emotions were hyperactive in sleep-deprived patients. “Without sleep, it is almost as if the brain is too heavy on the emotional accelerator pedal, without enough brake.” Sleeplessness causes anxiety levels to spike by up to 30% in their study, report the scientists [Brain, (n.d.)]. Furthermore, the studies found that anxiety levels got lower after some qualified sleep and the decrease in this study was even more effective in participants who spent more time in the non-REM stage of sleep.
Sleep is one of the most vital things in your daily routine. It keeps you sharp and helps your body to be energetic throughout the day by alarming the neurons in the brain. In the absence of sleep, forming your memories will get harder to maintain, your brain will not be able to lay the groundwork for you to learn and create new memories, and it will make it harder for you to concentrate and respond quickly.
References:
Brain basics: Understanding sleep. (n.d.). National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep.
Sandoiu, A. (2020, August 6). The neuroscience of sleep. Medical and health information. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-happens-in-the-brain-when-you-sleep.
Comments