there are terms that really help rest – breaking latest news

Thoughts that go through your head are the first enemies of a good sleep, especially if you continue to mull over problems and suspended issues. On the contrary, it is common experience that being able to distance oneself from the problems of daytime life predisposes to sleep. Now a research carried out by Swiss and Austrian scholars, led by Jonas Beck, of the Psychology Department of the University of Friborg, shows how it is possible f
to facilitate sleep also simply by listening in sequence to a series of relaxing words, for example «sea» or «relax»».

Research

The research, carried out on a group of 50 healthy volunteers, compared the quality of sleep and subsequent alertness in two groups, one exposed to listening to soothing words, one to listening to neutral words, such as’ material ‘or’ production”. The most extraordinary aspect of this research is that the listening took place while the subjects were already asleep. They were specifically in the slow wave sleep phase, the most restful and during which slow and wide waves are detected on the EEG. In the end, it emerged that both parameters, quality of non-REM sleep and subsequent wakefulness, were significantly better in the group exposed to listening to relaxing words.

Previous studies

It should be specified that in the past, other studies had shown that the brain is able to perceive words even during certain phases of sleep, activating specific semantic circuits, ie those related to language. For example, a Swiss research published in the journal NeuroImage had proved that during sleep, both REM and non-REM, a sort of “sentinel” of consciousness remains active, capable of distinguishing familiar voices and names from unfamiliar voices and names. The circuits involved “Listening to relaxing words during deep sleep produces in the brain the activation of the semantic concept of relaxation related to the activation of the brain regions responsible for relaxation, induction of sleep and its maintenance” say the authors of the research.

The brain circuits involved

«It is possible that the inhibitory system of brain activity based on GABA or the thalamo-cortical circuits that generate the slow waves are involved. Furthermore, it is possible to hypothesize that listening to words semantically connected to relaxation can inhibit the activity of maintaining wakefulness induced by regions such as the hypothalamus or the brain stem ». That there is a relationship between insomnia and thoughts, mental images that go through your head when you go to bed is also confirmed by the fact that this disorder, especially in its chronic form, can be effectively countered with cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, which acts precisely by trying to interfere not only with behavior but also with thoughts

Psychotherapy

As for the latter, psychotherapy works on several fronts: it seeks to reduce anxious and catastrophic thoughtsi that often insomnia sufferers do on the health consequences of their ailment, but also of reduce expectations with respect to possible hours of sleep, which, especially in the elderly, are generally very low.

Relaxation and sleep hygiene

In addition, it is promoted orevery possible way of relaxation, both through muscle relaxation techniques and by resorting to mindfulness

, a Western and secular version of meditation. On the behavioral side, insomniacs are advised to follow the rules of the so-called sleep hygiene, aimed at facilitating it as much as possible without having to resort to the use of a farm.

The hypothesis

Born to sleep?
According to recent hypotheses, sleep, and not wakefulness, is the natural condition of human beings. It may seem like an extravagant and unscientific claim, yet when viewed from an evolutionary point of view it becomes much more plausible. Matthew Walker, neuroscientist and author of the international best seller, is convinced of this Why we sleep? (in the Italian version Why do we sleep? Espress edizioni, 2019), according to which «every species sleeps and this means that sleep is something essential. Perhaps it is a controversial hypothesis, but why do we think that sleep is somehow the product of evolution, as if we take it for granted that the default condition of life is wakefulness? But what if sleep was the default form of life on this planet? Perhaps it is waking that has emerged from sleep e this may be why we have to return to the default state of life every day which is the state of sleep“. An original vision, which overturns the idea of ​​sleep as a secondary mode of being, with wakefulness reigning over it. Either way, good sleep helps keep you healthy. Many studies have shown that you cannot live without sleep, although there are people who actually need far less than the usual seven hours a night. and who seem unaffected by the prolonged waking state.

The “green” helps

The image of a nap outside under a leafy tree, perhaps by a stream is a kind of visual stereotype of good sleep. Comics come to mind with Mickey and Goofy falling asleep in the shade while lazily fishing in a small river. But it’s not just a stereotype: exposure to green spaces is really a sleep facilitator, especially if, contrary to how comic characters do, it is related to physical activity. A systematic review published in the journal came to this conclusion Environmental Research, which looked at a series of clinical studies evaluating the effect of green area exposure on sleep quality and quantity. From the review, an evident relationship emerged above all with the exposure to greenery that can be achieved during the weekends, when people have more time on their hands and can travel to large parks or even to areas far from the city.

“Anti-insomnia” programs

“Intervention programs aimed at improving the quality and quantity of sleep are relatively new compared to other types of programs, such as those that focus on physical activity or mental health,” say the review authors, led by Jong Cheol Shin of Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences of the Center for Health Equity Research, Brown University, Providence, United States. “Considering the conclusions of our review, it can be said that there are three different types of programs achievable using exposure to green areas: those based on physical activity or gardening and those based on the modification of the environment low

oro. Programs evaluated in research that have confirmed their positive impact on sleep. In particular, four different studies, out of five carried out, have shown general positive results on sleep following exposure to green spaces; three other researches revealed improvements in both the quality and quantity of sleep in the subjects involved. Therefore, overall the results of our review indicate that green space exposure programs can represent an excellent additional tool to non-pharmacological methods for promoting good sleep quality. “

The importance of walking

The best effect appears to be achieved when the positive effects on sleep of green area exposure and walking are combined. In addition to improving the mood, walking in a park or in a forest, or in any case in the open air in a natural environment, has a beneficial effect on the whole organism, which then also translates into a better quality of sleep. . A Japanese research, published in the journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine
by some researchers, led by Emi Morita of the Department of Preventive Medicine of Nagoya University, has shown that two hours of walking in a wooded environment causes an extension of the subsequent sleep time, and reduces the movements you make while sleeping, an index of good quality rest, also confirmed by specific detection tests to which the subjects entered the study were subjected. “Furthermore, we could observe that some subjects after the walk in the woods also felt the need to take an additional nap. Therefore we believe that the emotional and physical improvements induced by walking in people with sleep problems can contribute to both the time of sleep and its subjectively perceived quality. From the detection of the objective parameters that we have carried out, we can therefore conclude that even if the latency time before falling asleep is not changed much, exercise certainly proves to be able to increase the overall period of sleep “.

When it is best to walk

The Japanese study is also able to give indications on what might be the best time for a walk in the park to try to improve the quality of one’s sleep. C
comparing the data of those who had taken the walk in the morning with those of those who had instead taken it in the afternoon, they concluded that afternoon walks have a more evident effect on sleep. In particular, it was noted that those who had taken the afternoon walk tended to sleep more the following night and also to stay more still during sleep, probably because after exercise there is a progressive reduction in body temperature, a parameter known to be related to sleep improve. On the other hand, no difference was noted regarding the time it takes to fall asleep, the so-called sleep latency.