Does ‘night mode’ shift your brain out of sleep mode?

A new study suggests that a device's night mode may damage sleep hygiene even more.

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  • The social consensus claims that blue-light emitting devices interrupt sleep by curbing melatonin production.
  • However, new research suggests that the ruddy hues of "night mode" may have a more detrimental effect on quality sleep.
  • While causal effect remains unknown, the correlation between screen time and poor sleep habits is nonetheless strong.
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One of the best ways to treat anxiety? A full night's rest, new research suggests.

Researchers discover that not only can anxiety prevent you from sleeping, but not getting a good night's sleep might also cause anxiety.

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  • Anxiety disorders are frequently associated with poor sleep. The intuitive conclusion is that anxious individuals are too worried to fall asleep.
  • However, a recent fMRI study revealed that failing to get a good night's sleep, even for healthy individuals, can also contribute to anxiety levels the next day, raising them by up to 30 percent.
  • The findings suggest that one of the best ways to treat anxiety may be to get in a full night's rest.
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'Waves' of fluid clear the brain of toxins during sleep, say researchers

The finding represents one of the first times we have observed how the human brain clears out its waste products.

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  • Evidence has been mounting that one of the major functions of sleep is to clear out metabolic waste products like beta-amyloids and tau proteins.
  • These waste products tend to accumulate in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, implying that they play some part in neurodegenerative diseases.
  • Now, researchers from Boston University have discovered that these toxic byproducts are flushed out in waves by cerebrospinal fluid during the slow-wave sleep phase.
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To make laziness work for you, put some effort into it

If laziness is written into our genes, why not embrace it?

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We are being lazy if there's something that we ought to do but are reluctant to do because of the effort involved.

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Not enough sleep throws your circadian rhythm off, leading to potential cognitive problems

Sleep deprivation leads to a shutdown in the production of essential proteins.

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  • Two new studies indicate what happens when your natural circadian rhythm is disrupted by not enough sleep.
  • The production of essential proteins is disrupted by a lack of sleep, which could result in cognitive decline.
  • From dementia to an uptick in obesity, sleep deprivation wreaks havoc in your physiology.
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