Posted on 09/15/2023 7:48:41 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Chronic stress is associated with sleep disturbance. In their new study, Lu Huang and colleagues identify the neural pathway behind this behavior, and at the same time, explain how bright-light treatment is able to counter it. The research was conducted in mice.
Bright-light treatment is known to improve sleep in those with sleep disorders, but how it works—and whether it works in cases of stress-induced sleep disturbances—was unknown.
The researchers hypothesized that a part of the brain called the lateral habenula is deeply involved in this phenomenon because it both receives light signals from the eyes and can influence other parts of the brain that regulate sleep.
To test this theory, the team performed a series of chemogenetic and optogenetic studies in a mouse model of chronic stress, which also showed irregular sleep. Specifically, chronic stress led to higher-than-normal amounts of non-REM sleep, which could be eliminated with bright-light treatment.
As hypothesized, the lateral habenula influenced the effects of stress on sleep. Its chemogenetic inhibition in stressed mice prevented the unusual high amounts of non-REM sleep, and on the flip side, its chronic activation in un-stressed mice resulted in extra non-REM sleep.
Next, by separately activating habenular neurons that send signals to different regions of the brain, the researchers were able to identify the connection between the habenula and the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMT) as critical. Activating only these neurons mimicked the effects of stress on sleep, while inhibiting them in stressed mice mimicked the effects of bright-light treatment.
Lastly, the researchers showed that light-sensitive neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) naturally inhibit the habenula-RMT neurons, which explains why bright-light treatment can reduce stress-induced abnormalities in non-REM sleep. Understanding how bright-light treatment works can help devise optimal light treatments and perhaps pharmacological interventions targeting this pathway.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The cat I inherited from my Mom sleeps with the lights on.
not sure about this- 2 relatives are active outdoors gardening, taking care of the grounds etc, and they can’t get more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night- it has been goign on for years- tried all the usual natural stuff like melatonin, valerian, passion flower etc etc etc- docs tried low dose anti anxiety drugs- nothing seems ot be working except maybe cbd- but it’s early yet- but they have reported 6 and 7 hours sleep-
Torturing mice to find out why people are so miserable.
Hot showers work as well. Take one about 15 minutes before sleep and your cooling down may aid you when you sleep.
In my CPA office the staff worked tax season from early morning until late in the evening, thus not getting outside for much sunlight for many weeks.
So I changed all the fluorescent light bulbs to plant grow bulbs. It really made a positive difference.
“Torturing mice to find out why people are so miserable.”
Marriage appears to do the same thing.
I’ve noticed “weighted blankets” in stores. Supposedly they help people sleep. Me, I just use “everything I do in a day.”
Exercise, about 5 hours before bedtime, also helps.
Cats have something else going on. They are night shift. When I check my security cameras there’s always a cat on patrol somewhere. A free public service. And unlike the trash pickup they rarely make a sound.
A sleeping cat is confident you have the day shift covered. Don’t let him down!
you dont wake up having to rush to the bathroom?
So far the new mattress made a difference in sleep.
I received a new mattress a few days ago that I bought over Labor Day holiday. Much more comfortable. I have not had numbness below my knees since which was waking me up thru-out the night.
It had High Density memory (HD) form that is just right. I hope this mattress lasts and no sagging like my past mattress’s have had happened. The last 2 were terrible.
It is a Regency II Luxury Firm from Ortho Mattress. It was 50% off
plus the money back from the 100 day test of the other mattress they gave me for their bad Club 1 mattress which was too firm and cheap. I ended up only paying $455 after the tax delivered and they picked up the bad mattress.
Regency II Luxury Firm
https://www.orthomattress.com/products/regency-ii-luxury-firm?variant=43846811386105
I bought a memory foam topper which has helped quite a bit. Leg pain was keeping me awake before getting thepad
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