Sleep, Odor, & Memory

Jayson Emery

In an article in Forbes.com (3/11/07; you may need an account to read it.), there was a recap of a study published in one of the most prestigious journals known, Science. In the study:

German scientists used medical students as their guinea pigs, having them play a computer version of a common memory game: They turned over pairs of cards to find each one's match. Some played in a rose-scented room. Later that night, while they were in a deep stage of sleep known as slow-wave sleep, researchers gave them another whiff of roses. The next day, the rose-scented sleepers remembered the locations of those cards better than people who didn't get a whiff - they answered correctly 97 percent of the time compared with 86 percent.

In no other sleep stage was there a difference in memory performance.

Interestingly, when asked to do a different type of memory task (numeric and finger-tapping), the subjects' performance was unchanged with any odor in any stage of sleep. The scientists theorized that since there are different types of memory, the numeric memory task must be stored in an area of the brain that is unaffected by smell.

What interests me about this study was that I had learned that we cannot smell in our sleep; at least not consciously, which is why smoke alarms have a loud noise associated with them. However, this study would indicate that there may be an unconscious stimuli for smell in sleep.

Related Topics:

• Strengthen Memory While You Sleep
• Sleep Deprivation May Impair Memory

Technorati Tags: sleep, memory, odor, health-and-wellness

Men, Sleep, and Libido

Photo Credit: Gisela Giardino

In a recent issue of the Journal Sleep, there was a fascinating new study, once again showing the importance of sleep in all areas of health. This time it was referring to men's health --specifically testosterone levels.

We have known for a while that men's levels of testosterone vary with age and usually decline. Some men seem to have higher levels of testosterone well into their 80s. High levels of testosterone have been thought to be linked to hair loss, while low levels have been linked to lack of energy and libido. There is now evidence to suggest that these testosterone variations may be linked to sleep.

Researchers found that the amount of sleep that older men in their study got was significantly related to the amount of testosterone in their a.m. blood samples. More sleep lead to higher levels of testosterone.

What does this mean? It is really hard to say.

First, the results may need to be re-confirmed. Next, we would want to look not just at the total minutes of sleep, but also at the actual quality of the sleep these men are getting.

But what is quality sleep? Is it more delta sleep or slow wave sleep (that "wake up and feel great" sleep!)?

Another good question, but I would say that since we know that the elderly have lower wave amplitude (meaning that their brainwaves do not have as much power to the punch as they may have had when younger... but again we do not yet know what this may mean), we would want to see if those with higher testosterone at 80 have not only more minutes, but also higher amplitude.

How can this study have any effect on our real world thinking?

Here is how I see it: the more sleep you get at 80, the less hair you may have, but the more sexual drive is likely to stay with you.

So ask yourself: do you want to be bald and hot to trot, or do you want to have a head full of hair but not be that interested?

Related Topics:

• The Toll of Sleep Loss in America
• WebMD Video: Pump Up Your Libido - Sexercise!

Technorati Tags: sleep, testosterone, libido, men's health, health and wellness

Daylight Savings Time

I just finished a 15-city radio media tour talking about Daylight Savings Time and what we all need to watch out for in terms of how it affects our sleep.

As you all know, we have all "sprung" forward, or lost 1 hour of sleep (Unless you live in one of those states that does not participate in daylight savings, which I do :-)). There can be several consequences of this sleep loss:

1. Slower thinking and slower reaction time. There are more car accidents in the 2-3 days following Daylight Savings than on any other day of the year.


2. Moodiness and exhaustion. One hour of sleep loss can cause increased fatigue and irritability.


3. Tired children. If you are a parent, you should realize that not only are you losing an hour, but so are your children -- and this can have a big effect on their little circadian systems. When my wife and I took our 6 month old to Alaska, it took him about 4 days to get on the right time schedule -- and since he usually woke at 7 a.m., he was waking up at 3-4 a.m., and we were both asleep in our tiny cruise ship cabin -- what a mess!)

So what can you do about this lost hour of sleep?

1. Go to bed 1/2 hour earlier and sleep 1/2 an hour later. This will help your body begin to adjust.


2. Go in late to work for a few days. Tell the office your sleep doctor told you to do so.


3. Watch out for late evening caffeine consumption. Try to move to decaf by 2 pm.


4. Make your bedroom more sound for sleep. Use aromatherapy to help set the mood for sleep. I like lavender and vanilla -- check out the cool stuff at Bath and Body Works.


5. Relax. Consider my yoga and meditation recommendations in my book.


6. Dim the lights. Make sure to have a dimly lit room. Change the bulbs to 45 watts and use a book light when reading -- I like the LightWedge.


7. Keep out the sun and street lamps. Consider eye shades or blackout curtains that really block out the light.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Daylight Savings Time and Sleep
• WebMD Video: Tips Body Clock and Health

Technorati Tags: sleep, fatigue, daylight savings time, heal;th-and-wellness

Buying Prescription Medication on the Internet

In my most recent issue of the Sleep Review Newsletter I learned that what I had suspected could happen, has indeed occurred:

"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become aware that a number of Americans who placed orders for specific drug products over the Internet, including Ambien, Xanax, Lexapro, and Ativan, instead received a product that, according to preliminary analysis, contains haloperidol, a powerful anti-psychotic drug."

Several people ended up in the ER with several problems including:

• difficulty in breathing


• muscle spasms


• muscle stiffness

Obviously this is a tremendous problem. The packages were postmarked in Greece and the FDA has posted photographs of the tablets and shipping packages in question.

This is not to say that errors like this occur in all instances. But when buying prescription medications over the internet, it is best to know what they look like, if possible, and to buy them through a site that your health insurance carrier recommends.

Related Topics:

• WebMD Video: Sleeping Pills
• Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online

Technorati Tags: sleep, sleeping pills, interenet drug sales, FDA, health-and -wellness