Why some people can block out noise during sleep - Some people can sleep through anything because their brains are capable of "fending off" noise, according to a new study.
Researchers have found that heavy sleepers are able to block outside noise getting to their brains and lead to undisturbed sleep.
The discovery of the system, which only works at night and is equivalent to shutting your eyes, could lead to the development of "chemical" earplugs – drugs that block out noise during sleep.
Researchers analysing brainwaves found that the mind produces pulses called "spindles" during sleep – which seem to protect the consciousness from noise.
People who produce more spindles are less likely to wake up when exposed to any form of noise, the study found
Dr Jeffrey Ellenbogen, assistant professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, said: "Noise-induced sleep disruption is one of the most common complaints that people have for why they have difficulty sleeping.
"I hear about this problem from hospitalised patients, hotel patrons and even healthy people in their home life.
"Given that the brain already has a mechanism in place to reduce the impact of noises on the sleeping brain, my laboratory is seeking to understand how the brain achieves that block and what we can do to enhance this naturally occurring protection of sleep from noises."
The authors looked at electroencephalography (EEG) patterns in the brain, which are used to distinguish stages of sleep. In the second and third stages, slow brain waves – which occur when we are not awake – were interspersed with brief rapid pulses – known as spindles.
Previous research has found that the brain activity producing spindles, which only occur during sleep, kept sensory information from passing through an area of the brain known as the thalamus
Electrical signals pass through the thalamus on the way to the cortex, where sounds are perceived by the mind – so if the signals are stopped in the thalamus, the person does not become aware of the noise.
A total of 12 adults spent three nights under observation, with EEG readings being taken constantly. The first night was spent in quiet conditions, with the subsequent two involving increasing levels of sound.
The results revealed that each person kept a consistent spindle rate – the same on each night, regardless of decibel levels – and that those with higher rates were less likely to be disturbed on the noisy nights.
Participants often were not aware that their sleep had been interrupted – indicating that environmental noise can have a greater impact on sleep quality than an individual may realise, the researchers said. ( telegraph.co.uk )
Researchers have found that heavy sleepers are able to block outside noise getting to their brains and lead to undisturbed sleep.
The discovery of the system, which only works at night and is equivalent to shutting your eyes, could lead to the development of "chemical" earplugs – drugs that block out noise during sleep.
Researchers analysing brainwaves found that the mind produces pulses called "spindles" during sleep – which seem to protect the consciousness from noise.
People who produce more spindles are less likely to wake up when exposed to any form of noise, the study found
Dr Jeffrey Ellenbogen, assistant professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, said: "Noise-induced sleep disruption is one of the most common complaints that people have for why they have difficulty sleeping.
"I hear about this problem from hospitalised patients, hotel patrons and even healthy people in their home life.
"Given that the brain already has a mechanism in place to reduce the impact of noises on the sleeping brain, my laboratory is seeking to understand how the brain achieves that block and what we can do to enhance this naturally occurring protection of sleep from noises."
The authors looked at electroencephalography (EEG) patterns in the brain, which are used to distinguish stages of sleep. In the second and third stages, slow brain waves – which occur when we are not awake – were interspersed with brief rapid pulses – known as spindles.
Previous research has found that the brain activity producing spindles, which only occur during sleep, kept sensory information from passing through an area of the brain known as the thalamus
Electrical signals pass through the thalamus on the way to the cortex, where sounds are perceived by the mind – so if the signals are stopped in the thalamus, the person does not become aware of the noise.
A total of 12 adults spent three nights under observation, with EEG readings being taken constantly. The first night was spent in quiet conditions, with the subsequent two involving increasing levels of sound.
The results revealed that each person kept a consistent spindle rate – the same on each night, regardless of decibel levels – and that those with higher rates were less likely to be disturbed on the noisy nights.
Participants often were not aware that their sleep had been interrupted – indicating that environmental noise can have a greater impact on sleep quality than an individual may realise, the researchers said. ( telegraph.co.uk )
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