Experiencing difficulty with sleeping is a very common condition that people complain about all over the world.
The American Sleep Association (AMA) says that as many as 50 to 70 million adults complain of sleep disorders.
If you are a medical doctor or a sleep technologist, you probably know that when patients come in with sleep problems, a lot of them are dejected, worried, anxious, and some are downright depressed.
It might sound like a simple problem, but in fact, it can be very dangerous
[1]. And dangerous to others too! The AMA says that many times, the 1,550 deaths that occur on the American roads have been caused by people who have fallen asleep at the wheel or who were drowsy and not properly focusing on their driving.
Muscle Paralysis During Sleep
Narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness), cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder are serious sleep-related disorders. The researchers have found neurons in the brain that link all three disorders and could provide a target for treatments.
The research led by Professor Takeshi Sakurai at the University of Tsukuba is published in the
Journal of Neuroscience.
Most of the dreams occur during REM sleep in which the eyes move back and forth, but our bodies remain still. This
near-paralysis of muscles while dreaming is called REM-atonia. In patients with REM sleep behavior disorder, REM-atonia is absent due to which the muscles move around often leading to stand up and jump, yell, or punch. Researchers have found neurons in the brain that normally prevent this type of behavior during REM sleep.
Sleep Disturbances may Contribute to Alzheimers Disease by Karishma Abhishek on December 17, 2020 at 1:02 PM
Sleep disturbances like fractured sleep and daytime sleepiness are the worsening complaints of people with Alzheimer s disease (AD), as the disease progresses. But the exact link between Alzheimer s and circadian dysfunction remains masked.
A brain protein - YKL-40 that is regulated by clock genes is also a well-known biomarker of Alzheimer s disease, involved in clearing away the toxic buildup of Alzheimer s protein plaques in the brain, as per a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.