Sound Waves Enhance Deep Sleep and Memory
Title: Sound Waves Enhance Deep Sleep and Memory
Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/pink-noise-sleep-memory-6508/
Summary:
It is suggested in this article that deep sleep and memory can be improved when falling asleep to pink noise, for example the sound of a rushing waterfall or rain. A study was done and published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience where 13 participants who were all ages 60 and older had one night sleeping with an acoustic playing in the background and another night with sham stimulation but no background noise. They were given a test at night before they fell asleep and were given the same test once they woke up to test their recall ability. Results showed more improvement on taking the test the morning after they slept with the pink noise in the background. Another study suggests that each brainwave slows down to one oscillation per second when in a deep sleep. Giovanni Santostasi created an algorithm that produces sound while slow wave oscillations are rising. It was found that during sleep, slow waves were increasing.
Reflection:
I know there are some people who need to sleep with some kind of background noise and others who can only sleep in dead silence. However, I did not realize that pink noise could improve a person's deep sleep and memory. I found that even those adults whom are over the age of 60 can still improve their memory by falling asleep to pink noise to be very interesting. Memory is something that tends to get worse when you get older, so it's interesting to read that pink noise is a way of improving memory even when you get older.
Link: http://neurosciencenews.com/pink-noise-sleep-memory-6508/
Summary:
It is suggested in this article that deep sleep and memory can be improved when falling asleep to pink noise, for example the sound of a rushing waterfall or rain. A study was done and published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience where 13 participants who were all ages 60 and older had one night sleeping with an acoustic playing in the background and another night with sham stimulation but no background noise. They were given a test at night before they fell asleep and were given the same test once they woke up to test their recall ability. Results showed more improvement on taking the test the morning after they slept with the pink noise in the background. Another study suggests that each brainwave slows down to one oscillation per second when in a deep sleep. Giovanni Santostasi created an algorithm that produces sound while slow wave oscillations are rising. It was found that during sleep, slow waves were increasing.
Reflection:
I know there are some people who need to sleep with some kind of background noise and others who can only sleep in dead silence. However, I did not realize that pink noise could improve a person's deep sleep and memory. I found that even those adults whom are over the age of 60 can still improve their memory by falling asleep to pink noise to be very interesting. Memory is something that tends to get worse when you get older, so it's interesting to read that pink noise is a way of improving memory even when you get older.
I went back and read a little bit more of the original article and one thing i find interesting is how they do different types of studies on different age groups. This study about pink noise was done on participants over the age of 60 and the acoustic study was done on a younger group. I wonder what the reason for this is. Another blog post I read earlier this semester which was about hoe older adults can benefit from taking longer naps as well, which is just another example of sleep-focused research being done on this specific age group. I wonder if falling asleep to pink noise would have the same type of cognitive effect on a younger group? This could be interesting to research further.
ReplyDeleteGreat article Paige! I find this very fascinating because I find that on nights that it is hard for me to fall asleep, I look for something to listen to as I fall asleep. I also found it interesting that they suggested pink noise. I have never heard of pink noise, only white noise. I wonder how the two differ, and if there is a cognitive difference when listening to those two types as opposed to the acoustic and pink noise. I also wonder if the comprehension of our brain and the way that we all individually learn is a factor in the effects of the music versus pink noise. I feel like the age difference in the participants would help us understand more of how our memory and cognitive abilities change over time. Further studies with the same participants over a number of years might help further this research. Overall, this is very informative for someone like myself who occasionally has trouble even finding the right sound or music to fall asleep to. I wonder how this has affected my immediate memory.
ReplyDeleteAdriana presents an interesting point about the age differences in the study. Memory seems to be largely affected by age so would the same results be seen on younger participants? It is also interesting to think of how one of our senses, hearing, can still have such a profound affect when the body is in a sleeping state. This is a great finding that could be self-tested easily by individuals at home and even improve their health if successful.
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