I don't have to remind you this is the first workday after that extra hour of sleep was stolen from us, also known the world over as Daylight Savings Time (DST). I'm betting many of you are still aggravated about the clock change despite getting an extra hour of late afternoon/evening sunshine, and are blaming various aches and pains on losing the chance at having and enjoying those extra 60 minutes of nightly sleep too.
OK, it's not like you weren't warned about DST or that we haven't reminded you how deadly skipping sleep can be for your health, either. Just in case you need one more reason to be reminded to adjust your bedtime accordingly with the onset of DST, be aware how shortchanging your sleep -- getting less than six hours per night -- also affects your memory and ability to learn.
University of California, Berkeley researchers assigned 44 healthy adults to a pair of taxing memorization tasks designed to exercise the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that regulates memory and emotions. Patients performed very similarly after the first test when no sleep was involved.
The difference came when patients were divided into two equal groups prior to an evening test. One group remained awake for the remainder of the day while the other took a 90-minute nap. The extra sleep refreshed the ability of the latter group to learn and remember, evidenced by their higher test scores.
The scientific explanation: Less sleep limits the brain's ability to produce "sleep spindles," electrical impulses generated during non-REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that shift memories from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex, thus preventing the hippocampus from absorbing new data. On the other hand, electroencephalography (EEG) testing showed how the nappers produced more sleep spindles and their brains were more capable of learning.
So, if you've been sleepwalking through your work day, before and during DST, it's time you checked out our 11 tips to help you get a better night's sleep.
Current Biology, Vol. 21, No. 5, p. 183-184, March 8, 2011 Free Full Text Study
healthfinder.gov March 8, 2011
ScienceDaily March 8, 2011