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As humans fall asleep, body activity slows down. Body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and energy use all decrease. Brain waves slow down. The excitatory neurotransmitter acetylcholine becomes less available in the brain. [9] Humans often maneuver to create a thermally friendly environment—for example, by curling up into a ball if cold.
Modern humans often find themselves desynchronized from their internal circadian clock, due to the requirements of work (especially night shifts), long-distance travel, and the influence of universal indoor lighting. [33] Even if they have sleep debt, or feel sleepy, people can have difficulty staying asleep at the peak of their circadian cycle.
Young woman asleep over study materials. The relationship between sleep and memory has been studied since at least the early 19th century.Memory, the cognitive process of storing and retrieving past experiences, learning and recognition, [1] is a product of brain plasticity, the structural changes within synapses that create associations between stimuli.
The researchers discovered that three hours after taking creatine, the participants had positive changes in their brain metabolism and cognitive performance on tests. (They especially did well ...
But in people with dementia—which is an umbrella term for mental decline and can be related to a number of diseases such as Alzheimer's—there’s a phenomenon known as “sundowning,” where ...
Significant cognitive impairments, such as shorter attention spans, slower reaction times, and mistakes in patient care tasks during night shifts, were found in a study of nurses working rotating hours. Longer workdays than twelve hours intensify these impacts, increasing the risk of workplace accidents and jeopardizing patient safety.
The study’s first finding is that sleeping between 7 and 9 hours each night was optimal for brain function and boosting cognitive ability. Sleeping less than 7 hours and more than 9 hours ...
People who sleep less than six hours a night are more susceptible to infection and are more likely to catch a cold or flu. A lack of sleep can also prolong the recovery time of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). [85] [88] [89]