{"id":90,"date":"2021-11-13T05:57:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-13T05:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letscareforhealth.com\/?p=90"},"modified":"2022-05-13T18:02:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-13T18:02:33","slug":"what-is-lack-of-sleep-doing-to-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letscareforhealth.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/13\/what-is-lack-of-sleep-doing-to-your-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Lack Of Sleep Doing To Your Brain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Gemma Curtis \u2013 Sleep Matters Club Journalist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of reasons why we might have a lack of sleep\u00a0in our lifetime. Taking care of new babies, working shifts or living in a noisy neighbourhood can all ruin our forty winks. A recent...<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of reasons why we might have a lack of sleep\u00a0in our lifetime. Taking care of new babies, working shifts or living in a noisy neighbourhood can all ruin our forty winks. A\u00a0recent study<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0has shown that chronic sleep deprivation can cause lasting damage to your brain. So, how can we improve our sleep for good?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breaking down the brain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurologist Michele Bellesi of the Marche Polytechnic University conducted a study on the brains of sleep-deprived mice. The team measured the activity of glial cells in their brains. These cells \u2018clean up\u2019 the brain\u2019s synapses and expose damaged cells and debris. They found that the glial cells were active in 6% of synapses in well-rested mice \u2013 less than half of that in a sleep deprived mice who had a glial cell activity in 13.5% of their brains\u2019 synapses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this may sound like the sleep-deprived mice had squeaky clean brains, it leads to a slightly more damaging outcome. This same type of overactive glial cell behaviour is present in the brains of patients with Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other forms of dementia. So, it is thought that continuous or \u2018chronic\u2019 sleep deprivation can be a contributing factor to these illnesses later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactions, Emotions and Memory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to potential lasting damage, lack of sleep usually has immediate effects, too. It\u2019s harder to control your mood meaning you usually become more sensitive to things which usually wouldn\u2019t bother you. This is because the amygdala (the area of the brain that controls emotion) becomes overactive when you don\u2019t get enough sleep. It means your reactions and emotions are heightened and less controllable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong>How Does Your Mood Affect Your Sleep?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your memory can also become altered due to the change in function of your hippocampus.\u00a0The Independent<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Just one bad night\u2019s sleep impairs the hippocampus, which is the critical region for storing new memories. This means people struggle to remember new pieces of information.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you wake up feeling disorientated and manage to pack a tub of butter rather than your lunch, it\u2019s probably down to your sleep the night before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving your sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To improve your sleep, you first need to decipher what\u2019s causing the problems. Something as simple as light coming through the window or living on a busy road can wake you up. The best way to ensure a good quality sleep is by preparing yourself for bed and giving yourself the ideal sleep space. Here are some tips to remember:<\/p>\n\n\n\n