Sleep Hacking, Part II
Animal research suggests that the behavioral consequences of sleep deprivation may be the result of changes in the actual function of brain neurotransmitters. Thus if you keep it up and "sleep hack" you can theoretically change your brain chemistry. By the way, these studies are quite strange. They are adapted from the old "flower pot technique" which is where you put an upside down flowerpot on a tank of water where there is just enough room for the mouse to sit. As he get sleepy he will fall into the water and climb back up so as to not drown- I think this may be where Mark Burnett came up with his first ideas for the reality show <"Survivor".
We are still learning the role of sleep and memory in humans. Thus sleep deprivation, and even partial deprivation can have big effects on someone's memory ("Dude where's my car??"). By sleep-hacking one may be selectively depriving themselves of sleep. You see, sleep occurs in some cyclic patterns which can be altered with deprivation. As an example we see people go into sleep in stage 1, then more to 2, 3, 4, back to 2, and on into REM sleep. Thus to get to the deep good stuff you basically need to go through the cycle. When sleeping for 45 min - 1 hour you don't get a chance to get there. However by doing this it creates a "sleep pressure" or homeostatic drive for sleep. That in and of itself may not be a bad thing as we often use this as a technique called "sleep restriction" for people with insomnia asking them to stay up late and get up early ( restricting their sleep) to build this pressure to help them sleep.
However a second force ( not to be confused with "The Force"-I am an old Star Wars geek) is called the circadian pacemaker. Here we see that the body based on certain cues called zeitgabers (not some weird german delicacy), like light, social cues and exercise, tell the body when to do things like eat or sleep. Thus by napping every 2.5 hours or so you are going against this system for example if you are trying to sleep at 12 noon.
In addition, the entire argument changes as you age. Napping at noon for kids may be just fine while it shouldn't be for a 21-year old ( unless it is Sunday and you have had a big night on the town).
Related Topics: Sleep Studies, What Your Sleeping Style Says About You, Lifehacker: Sleep
We are still learning the role of sleep and memory in humans. Thus sleep deprivation, and even partial deprivation can have big effects on someone's memory ("Dude where's my car??"). By sleep-hacking one may be selectively depriving themselves of sleep. You see, sleep occurs in some cyclic patterns which can be altered with deprivation. As an example we see people go into sleep in stage 1, then more to 2, 3, 4, back to 2, and on into REM sleep. Thus to get to the deep good stuff you basically need to go through the cycle. When sleeping for 45 min - 1 hour you don't get a chance to get there. However by doing this it creates a "sleep pressure" or homeostatic drive for sleep. That in and of itself may not be a bad thing as we often use this as a technique called "sleep restriction" for people with insomnia asking them to stay up late and get up early ( restricting their sleep) to build this pressure to help them sleep.
However a second force ( not to be confused with "The Force"-I am an old Star Wars geek) is called the circadian pacemaker. Here we see that the body based on certain cues called zeitgabers (not some weird german delicacy), like light, social cues and exercise, tell the body when to do things like eat or sleep. Thus by napping every 2.5 hours or so you are going against this system for example if you are trying to sleep at 12 noon.
In addition, the entire argument changes as you age. Napping at noon for kids may be just fine while it shouldn't be for a 21-year old ( unless it is Sunday and you have had a big night on the town).
Related Topics: Sleep Studies, What Your Sleeping Style Says About You, Lifehacker: Sleep
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