How to Recharge the Batteries in our Brain:

In recent years, sleep has been less of an enigma than it was in the 70s and 80s. Memory

consolidation is now well known as the prime reason why we actually need sleep, but there is still a

lot of controversy regarding the exact mechanism by which sleep alters the learning characteristics

of the brain. While the effects of long-term sleep deprivation are much better studied and

characterized, the role of napping as opposed to deep slumber has been the subject of a recent

study.

Researchers at the University College of Berkley, California, studied in particular the role of

the traditionally neglected nonREM phase of sleep in the learning process on a group of 44

volunteers, by subjecting them to rigorous tasks aimed at the hippocampus in particular

memorization. During the non-REM phase of sleep (where there is no rapid eye movement

or REM), sharp spikes of electrical activity called sleep spindles were recorded from

hippocampal region. Normally, these spikes occur about a 1000 times per night, and are

thought to be associated with the process analogous to scrubbing the hippocampus free of

short-term memory traces, and helping further short-term memory at accumulation once

we wake up. In this study, half of the subjects were allowed to have a 90 minutes nap in

between two heavy learning sessions in the afternoon and in the evening. These sleep

spindles were noted in the above group, and they typically demonstrated better learning in

the evening session, compared to the other half who were not allowed to sleep.

One of the important implications of the study is that non-REM sleep serves an important

purpose than commonly thought recharging the brain for learning. Concomitantly

performed electroencephalogram (EEG) studies mapping the brainwaves of the

participants showed that there was a distinct correlation between the amount of sleep

spindles and the quality of learning soon afterwards. These spikes where seen selectively in

the hippocampus, also looping to the prefrontal cortex, the two parts of the brain that are

thought to be the key areas involved in learning. Walker, the lead researcher of this study

published in a recent edition of Current Biology, stated that sleep selectively restores

critical learning functions of the brain. In their opinion, non-REM sleep deprivation

typically seen in the older population may account for the reduced memorization capacity

during learning. Perhaps it also points out that in chronically sleep deprived individuals,

learning performance is justifiably diminished.

But what is the exact mechanism at the cellular level by which sleep affects our

learning?

This remains a controversial area within neurology at present and the debated theory

of synaptic pruning is a leading candidate with some recent experimental evidence. This

theory was first proposed nearly seven years ago by Cirelli and Tononi, neurobiologists

based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is essentially based on the idea that

when awake, the synapses within our brain grow stronger and proliferate leading to a form

of neurological saturation. During sleep there is a massive downscaling of such synaptic

connections, thus freeing up nerve cell resources for further learning once we are awake.

Despite some supporting evidence in fruit flies and fishes, this theory needs further

verification before it is accepted as a general model of how learning occurs in humans.

Nevertheless it can explain some of the features of the non-REM sleep enhancement of

learning ability seen in the subjects of the UC Berkley study published this earlier this year.

Does sleep therefore help in pruning and unentangling the nerve endings in our

brain?

Perhaps time will tell.

References

Mander, B., Santhanam, S., Saletin, J., & Walker, M. (2011). Wake deterioration and sleep

restoration of human learning Current Biology, 21 (5) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.01.019

Tononi, G. (2003). Sleep and synaptic homeostasis: a hypothesis Brain Research Bulletin,

62 (2), 143-150 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2003.09.004

5 Tips to Recharge your Body & Mind Overnight:

Now that you know that quality sleep is more important than just getting X hours of shut-

eye, lets talk about what you can start doing this week to take those hours you spend

sleeping and turn them into serious recharge time.

Recharging Is Different Than Sleeping

For a lot of people, sleeping happens every night, but recharging doesnt. How do you

know if this is happening to you? If you wake up as tired (or more tired) than you were

before you went to sleep, then you didnt recharge. You just took a breather, but youre still

exhausted. Naturally, you want more than that out of your night.

The key to restful, recharging sleep is to do the same thing I do to the AA batteries I have at

home when I want them to recharge unplug them first. Unplug your mind from the stress

of the day, from all your worries and obligations, and give your mental wheels a chance to

spin down and cool off for the night.

Easier said than done? Perhaps so. But perhaps the real issue people have isnt that

unplugging is difficult as much as they dont have a plan for doing so. When youre

stressed and exhausted, winging it isnt the most effective way to do things successfully.

You need a plan.

5 Simple Ways To Beat Insomnia And Sleep Like A Baby:

Here are 5 easy tips you can use tonight to unwind and prep yourself for a truly recharging

night of sleep. All you need is a notebook, a pen, and a few minutes devoted to taking care

of yourself. Heres what to do:

Make peace with the end of the day. As unusual as that may sound, this makes a huge

difference in your ability to unwind. Think back over the events of the day and reflect upon

all the things you did get done. Feel good about that. (Smile, dammit.) And if you totally

blew the day vegging out, dont kick yourself. Remind yourself that we all need mental

health days and accept that you had a good one. If the day was pure hell, however, at least

take a moment to be glad that its coming to a close. Find something to be thankful for, and

focus on that for a minute.

Empty your mental pockets. Many people suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders in

part because they cant mentally let their to-do lists go. Youve got to be able to shift your

attention away from the 1,000 things that arent done so that you can sleep in peace. The

simplest thing to do is just to take 5 minutes and scribble them all out into a notebook, or

type them out, or whatever works for you. Just get them out of your head, tell yourself

youll deal with them tomorrow, and give yourself permission to relax.

Schedule out tomorrow. Youll be more likely to let yourself let go of the worries of

tomorrow if you know up front that youre going to be taking care of them. Take a few

minutes to schedule out what youll be doing tomorrow, so that when your head hits the

pillow, you can enjoy the sense of certainty that comes with knowing what lies ahead. 5

minutes doing this can more than pay for itself by means of a more restful sleep and give

you a clearer reason to hit the ground running in the morning.

Go for the gold. Olympic athletes close their eyes and visualize every aspect of what they

will do in their moment of glory. They see themselves winning, they prepare their body

and mind by getting in the moment, and they grab the Gold. You can do the same thing.

Take 2 minutes to close your eyes and visualize how good you are going to feel as you

unwind into sleep, how deeply you will rest, and how incredibly refreshed youll feel in the

morning. Give it a shot and see why it works so well.

Loosen up. Take 3 minutes and do a few simple stretches to loosen up your shoulders, neck

and back. Ill go over a few of these in an upcoming post, but you dont have to wait for me

to tell you what you can do. Just listen to your body; see what muscles feel tight and give

them a few gentle, 15-30 second stretches before bed. Youll be surprised how many

satisfying pops and cracks are followed by sweet, sweet relief.

You Know What To Do Now Make It Happen

Give these tips a shot see how they work for you over the next 3 days and let me know

your results in the comments. I look forward to hearing your success stories. And if youve

struggled with making other sleep tips work in the past, check out the Becoming an Early

Riser program you wont be disappointed.