Research Reveals Link Between Sleep and Brain Performance

(Newswire.net — December 8, 2021) Winnetka, IL — Over decades, researchers have been carrying out studies to look into the effects of sleep and various aspects of health. These include its impacts on brain health and performance.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine carried out a study. The study findings have shown that sleep may help people to continue learning throughout their lifetime. 

The investigators used computational models that are capable of simulating different brain states, such as sleep and awake. This is for the purpose of examining sleep consolidating newly encoded memories and preventing damage to old memories.

According to Maksim Bazhenov, Ph.D., the brain is very busy when we sleep, repeating what we have learned during the day. Sleep helps reorganize memories and presents them in the most efficient way. 

Bazhenov is the lead author of the study and professor of medicine at UC San Diego.

“Our findings suggest that memories are dynamic, not static. In other words, memories, even old memories, are not final. Sleep constantly updates them,” said Bazhenov.

“We predict that during the sleep cycle, both old and new memories are spontaneously replayed, which prevents forgetting and increases recall performance,” he added. 

The lead author explained that memory replay during sleep plays a protective role against forgetting by allowing the same populations of neurons to store multiple interfering memories. 

“We learn many new things on a daily basis and those memories compete with old memories. To accommodate all memories, we need sleep,” he further said. 

The investigators suggest that sleep’s restorative value may actually be what is missing in current state-of-the-art computer systems, which power self-driving cars. They also recognize images with performances that far exceed humans.  

“We may need to add a sleep-like state to computer and robotic systems to prevent forgetting after new learning and to make them able to learn continuously,” said Bazhenov.

Today, there is an increasing number of research studies highlighting the beneficial effects of certain plant-based remedies for both sleep and brain health. One of the medicinal herbs is called ashwagandha, which is loaded with therapeutic agents.

It is worth mentioning this remedy has adaptogenic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, antimicrobial, hypocholesterolemic, cardioprotective, antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic agents, as well as tannins, potassium, nitrate, fatty acids, and glucose. 

To benefit from the healing goodness of this remedy, it is wise to take into account the use of formulas like NutraHerbals Ashwagandha.

This supplement is known for its high potency and purity and is even made carefully in an FDA-inspected facility in the U.S. (amazon.com/organic-ashwagandha-root-powder/dp/B01GZALWGO)