Posted by desolationrower on June 27, 2011, at 22:50:36
still can't sleep, here is a 'lifestyle' intevention that could be worth trying
Rocking synchronizes brain waves during a short napLaurence Bayer1, ∗, Irina Constantinescu1, ∗, Stephen Perrig2, Julie Vienne3, Pierre-Paul Vidal4, Michel Mühlethaler1, ∗, and Sophie Schwartz1, 5, ∗,
1 Department of Neuroscience, University of Geneva, Switzerland
2 Sleep Laboratory, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland
3 CIG, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
4 CNRS, UMR 8194-Université Paris Descartes, France
5 Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
∗ These authors contributed equally to the work.
Summary
Why do we cradle babies or irresistibly fall asleep in a hammock? Although such simple behaviors are common across cultures and generations, the nature of the link between rocking and sleep is poorly understood [1,2]. Here we aimed to demonstrate that swinging can modulate physiological parameters of human sleep. To this end, we chose to study sleep during an afternoon nap using polysomnography and EEG spectral analyses. We show that lying on a slowly rocking bed (0.25 Hz) facilitates the transition from waking to sleep, and increases the duration of stage N2 sleep. Rocking also induces a sustained boosting of slow oscillations and spindle activity. It is proposed that sensory stimulation associated with a swinging motion exerts a synchronizing action in the brain that reinforces endogenous sleep rhythms. These results thus provide scientific support to the traditional belief that rocking can soothe our sleep.
http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822%2811%2900539-2Better living through chemistry, socialism, and big phallic rockets (with a side of roquette)
poster:desolationrower
thread:989634
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20110604/msgs/989634.html