There is finally some great news for insomniacs. Thanks to new research, scientists have discovered a "sleep node" in the brain that can help them turn deep sleep on and off, without needing any sedatives or sleep aids.
Researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine and the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences recently identified this sleep node in the brain that induces deep sleep.
The sleep node resides in the brainstem area of the brain, which regulates important functions in the body, such as breathing and heart rate. It only makes sense that this region of the brain also promotes sleep, as sleep is equally as important to the body's health.
A neuron in the brainstem makes a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is what creates deep sleep. In their experiments, researchers introduced a virus into the brainstem of animals that allowed them to turn on the GABA neurons. The results were spectacular: when researchers switched on the GABA neurons, the animals fell directly into a deep sleep without needing any sort of sleep aids or sedatives.
"These new molecular approaches allow unprecedented control over brain function at the cellular level," says Christelle Ancelet, postdoctoral fellow at Harvard School of Medicine. "Before these tools were developed, we often used 'electrical stimulation' to activate a region, but the problem is that doing so stimulates everything the electrode touches and even surrounding areas it didn't."
Recent studies show that sleep is necessary for the body and the brain's health. Lack of sleep results in serious health issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, stroke and heart attacks. The Centers for Disease Control recently stressed the importance of sleep and called insufficient sleep "a public health epidemic."
Getting a good night's sleep, including restful deep sleep, is vital for restoring the body's health each night. Sleep acts as a sort of garbage collector for our brain, making it necessary for aging brains. When we sleep, our brain cells shrink and allow brain and spinal cord fluid to flow freely. If we don't get enough, sleep, our brains become more clogged.
"There is much less flow to clear away things in the aging brain," says Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at the University of Rochester. "The garbage system picks up every three weeks instead of every week."
There are serious consequences to not getting enough sleep, so this new research is promising for those who have trouble sleeping. However, this research could also lead to better, and safer, anesthetic techniques.
