Published: August 13, 2010
The ability to remember is not just to glimpse into the past; a sharp memory can help with creativity, productivity and even the ability to imagine the future, according to several psychologists.
Sleep, aging and brain chemistry research were all discussed during several presentations on memory at the 118th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.
The benefits of sleep are well-documented, but researcher Sara C. Mednick, PhD, and her colleagues are finding that certain stages of sleep actually have distinct roles in people’s memory capacity. [continue reading…]
I have a brilliant friend. He is really very clever, but one thing he doesn’t do well is sleep. Well Mark, you may be interested in this new research study. Did you know that the brains of older adults with chronic sleep problems look different from those of adults who have enjoyed enough sleep. Yet the older adults function well despite their lack of sleep. They switch to a continuous form of mild stress, as a result of which they sometimes even perform better than contemporaries who enjoy a good night’s sleep according to Dutch researcher Ellemarije Altena. [continue reading…]
Published: January 1, 2010
A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep. Results show that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression (odds ratio = 1.24) and 20 percent more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR=1.20) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier. [continue reading…]
Published: December 24, 2009
Are your 11- and 12-year-olds staying up later, then dozing off at school the next day? Parents and educators who notice poor sleeping patterns in their children should take note of new research from Tel Aviv University ― and prepare themselves for bigger changes to come. Prof. Avi Sadeh of TAU’s Department of Psychology suggests that changes in children’s sleep patterns are evident just before the onset of physical changes associated with puberty. He counsels parents and educators to make sure that pre-pubescent children get the good, healthy sleep that their growing and changing bodies need.
“It is very important for parents to be aware of the importance of sleep for their developing children and to maintain their supervision throughout the adolescent years,” says Sadeh, who reported his research findings in a recent issue of the journal Sleep. “School health education should also provide children with compelling information on how insufficient sleep compromises their well-being, psychological functioning and school achievements.” [continue reading…]
