A new study suggests that people who can’t get a good sleep, or insomniacs, may lose focus and have poor memory compared to those who often get a good sleep.
The research team from the University of California, San Diego compared the brain scans of insomniacs and normal sleepers. Their findings revealed that there is a huge difference on the brain functions of both groups.
People experiencing insomnia were observed to have delayed reaction and memory lapses. The researchers initiated the study to see if constant sleep deprivation affects the brain.
The researchers recruited 25 people who admitted they have insomnia and 25 more who considered themselves normal sleepers. They were all subjected to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or brain scans to see if there are differences in the brain while taking increasingly difficult memory tests.
“We found that insomnia subjects did not properly turn on brain regions critical to a working memory task and did not turn off 'mind-wandering' brain regions irrelevant to the task,” said co-author Sean Drummond to BBC.
"This data helps us understand that people with insomnia not only have trouble sleeping at night, but their brains are not functioning as efficiently during the day."
The study was published in the online journal Sleep.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, not getting sleep is considered a public health issue as it is associated to road accidents, industrial disasters, and medical and work inaccuracies. Aside from that, it could affect the health as well as it is also associated with other diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity. The center estimates that up to 70 million of the U.S population is not getting a good sleep.
