Is Catching Up on Sleep Later Enough to Make Up for Sleep Deficiency?

Disruption of Neural Ripples (SWRs) Occurring in the Haema

The brain's signaling system, once shocked, does not recover even after a good night's sleep. A U.S. research team announced findings that lack of sleep causes abnormalities in the hippocampus, which converts short-term memory into long-term memory, leading to decreased memory function.

On the 14th, Chosun Ilbo reported that the study was published in the scientific journal Nature on the 12th (local time). Professor Kamran Diba's research team at the University of Michigan studied the relationship between sleep and memory through experiments on rats.

(This photo is not directly related to the article.) [Photo source=Pixabay]

The research team focused on the fact that the activity patterns of neurons occur in the hippocampus, a key brain region responsible for forming memories. These brainwave patterns are known to stimulate the brain's cortex, promoting activities that store memories long-term. The team recorded hippocampal activity over several weeks while allowing seven rats to explore a maze. During this time, some of the rats' sleep was disrupted.

Analysis showed that rats with disturbed sleep exhibited the same activity patterns in large groups of neurons as rats with normal sleep. However, the activity patterns in small groups of neurons were significantly reduced. Even after allowing the rats sufficient sleep and measuring again, this reduction in activity patterns did not fully recover. Some neural patterns recovered, but not to the extent seen in rats that had normal sleep.

The research team stated, "These results demonstrate that sleep deprivation negatively affects memory," adding, "Since the relationship between brain signals and memory has been clarified, this could lead to targeted therapies to improve memory in the future."

Meanwhile, there is also research indicating that fruit and vegetable intake can affect sleep duration. A study published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal found that people who consume fewer fruits and vegetables daily tend to have either shorter or longer sleep durations.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults aged 18 to 60 are recommended to get at least seven hours of sleep per day, but about 30% of adults sleep less than this.