![]() The truth is, sleep is crucial to your health no matter where you fall on the sleep spectrum. Ptácek says there are already plenty of things you can do to get better sleep: exercising, eating healthy foods, reducing stress (especially before bed), seeking therapy for mental health problems, or using sleeping aids every now and then. In the meantime, for those of us who aren't elite sleepers, Dr. Those therapies would ideally come without the problems that some sleeping pills have, such as grogginess and, in more serious cases, memory loss, addiction, and overdose. In the future, we might see treatment, possibly a medication, that uses our knowledge of elite sleepers to help us "go into a deeper, more efficient, more restful sleep," Dr. "Only once we understand what sleep is at a more biological level can we really begin to think intelligently about how we can improve that through better therapies," Dr. ![]() "If we can improve the efficiency of sleep and the quality of sleep, then we're not going to be trying to fix a brain after a lot of neurons have died, but rather trying to preserve the brain function for longer and delaying the onset," he explains. Ptácek believes this study can help experts come up with new ways to prevent neurodegenerative diseases. When it comes to quality of life, those extra healthy years make "a huge difference," she says.ĭr. Fu compared it to getting Alzheimer's in your 60s versus in your 90s. They found that mice with the elite-sleeper genes exhibited stronger "resilience" to Alzheimer's than a control group, resulting in a "significant delay" in the onset of the disease. ![]() The study was done on mice, allowing the researchers to breed mice with the elite-sleeper gene and genes that predisposed them to Alzheimer's. What's more, the recent study focuses on whether the genetic mutations that predispose people to sleep less might also provide protection from diseases, such as Alzheimer's. "Whatever function our body needs to do, they can do it better and faster," Dr. For many people, that process requires seven or eight hours, but elite sleepers need much less. It's a time for your body "to remove toxins and waste products, to repair damage, to generate energy," she says. Fu explains, functions in many ways to maintain good health. The doctors started to wonder if elite sleepers were also enjoying "more efficient" sleep than the rest of the population. Ptácek also noticed the correlation between people with elite-sleeping genes and a lack of sleep-related health problems. What Are the Benefits of Being an Elite Sleeper?īeing able to sleep less than most people without feeling groggy or cranky the next day is definitely a plus. The genes may have the potential to unlock new ways of treating sleep disorders, as well as many of the health problems that stem from not sleeping deeply or enough. It's a fascinating finding, but the doctors believe these elite-sleeping genes are more than just a lucky twist of fate for a chosen few. They also sleep more efficiently, which allows them to wake up after four or five hours feeling as refreshed as many of us are after seven or eight hours. Their most recent study uncovered some promising hints that elite sleepers might even have extra protection against neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's.Įlite sleepers, or "short sleepers" as they're called, are biologically predisposed to need less sleep. Ptácek have been studying "elite sleepers," people with the ability to sleep less than most of us without incurring the negative effects of sleep deprivation. And no, "good sleep" is not about how fast you drift off, your sleep position, or how late you sleep in - at least not according to UCSF neurologists Ying-Hui Fu, PhD, and Louis Ptácek, MD. Not to make sleeping a competition or anything, but it turns out some people are just naturally better at catching zzz's.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |