Sleep Found to Strengthen Connections Between Brain Cells

(Newswire.net — May 26, 2022) Orlando, FL — Multiple research studies have shown the various effects of adequate sleep and sleep deprivation on health. This includes how sleep influences the brain and its functions.

A mouse study has shown for the first time that sleep after learning encourages the growth of dendritic spines. It is worth noting that these spines are tiny protrusions from brain cells that connect to other brain cells. 

Further, they also facilitate information passage across synapses, which are the junctions at which brain cells meet. Brain cell activity during deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, after learning, is actually found vital for such growth. 

It is worth noting that the slow-wave sleep pertains to the process where brain cells that spark as a person digest new information during waking hours replay during deep sleep

The findings provide essential physical evidence in support of the hypothesis that sleep aids in consolidating and strengthening new memories. Further, it shows for the first time how sleep and learning produce physical changes in the motor cortex, a brain region responsible for voluntary movements.

“We’ve known for a long time that sleep plays an important role in learning and memory. If you don’t sleep well you won’t learn well,” says senior investigator Wen-Biao Gan, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and physiology, and a member of the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center. 

“But what’s the underlying physical mechanism responsible for this phenomenon? Here we’ve shown how sleep helps neurons form very specific connections on dendritic branches that may facilitate long-term memory. We also show how different types of learning form synapses on different branches of the same neurons, suggesting that learning causes very specific structural changes in the brain.”

Experts continue to carry out studies to investigate the remedies potentially helpful for sleep improvement. These include a therapeutic kitchen ingredient called lion’s mane, which is linked with a myriad of health benefits. 

Over the years, research has shown its use produces disease-fighting effects. It has anti-inflammatory, cognitive-decline-fighting, nerve repairing, neuroprotective, cardiovascular-health enhancing, blood-pressure-lowering, immunity-boosting, cholesterol-regulating, and weight management properties. 

Research reveals that the use of lion’s mane helps reduce symptoms of insomnia and improve sleep in individuals with notoriously poor sleep habits. This remedy may even work wonders in fighting anxiety, fatigue, and depression.

Extra-strength supplements like Divine Bounty Lion’s Mane are widely used nowadays. This highly potent and pure formula is popularized for its superior quality and the customer satisfaction guarantee it comes with. (http://www.amazon.com/Organic-Lions-Mane-Mushroom-Capsules/dp/B07LGR1KN7).