Mental Health

Lack of Sleep May Affect Brain, According to Studies

By Victoria Bale | Update Date: Apr 08, 2016 05:45 AM EDT

People who lacking sleep most likely have insomnia. Those who are having a hard time falling asleep also suffer from the same condition. Studies show that having a good night's sleep can help people improve their mental and physical health.

According to Fox News, a research comparing people who have primary insomnia and people who have a healthy condition discovered that those people who have insomnia show that they have weakened their neural connection in their thalamus. The thalamus is a part of the brain that regulates the alertness, sleep, and consciousness in people's body.

The weaker connection was not determined if it comes from people who have insomnia or if it is the result of a chronic lack of sleep, according to researchers. Experts say that the study may give important information to discover the origin and the treatment of the sleeping disorder.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one-quarter of the U.S residents is occasionally having the inability to have a proper sleep. Some of the factors that interfere with sleeping are stress, pain, allergies, drugs, depression and Parkinson's disease.

A study from Stanford University says that three to five percent of adult have primary insomnia. It is based on the ruling out known causes for insomnia. Relaxation techniques are one of the treatments to this type of insomnia.

A research from China tested 23 people who have primary insomnia and 30 healthy volunteers. All of the participants are requires to complete the standardized questionnaires about their sleeping patterns and mental health, they are also underwent brain MRI with a diffusion Tensor that can probe deeper that the basic brain structure. It revealed how well the neurons are connecting

According to Shumei Li, a researcher at Guangdong No.2 Provincial People's Hospital in Guangzhou, China "bundles of axons, or long fibers of nerve cells, that connect one part of the brain to another."

Recent news from WKRN says that having trouble sleeping can damage the brain, specifically the "white matter" in the brain. Study connects the abnormalities in the brain's white matter with insomnia.

Tissues that create the connection inside the brain and carries information between the other parts of the brain. The study could help discover how well the brain regulates sleep. It can also affect cognitive function in the brain.

Doctors at Cleveland Clinic commented at the study saying that the brain constantly changes to create new connections and overcome challenges. The study shows unclear information if treating insomnia can restore lost connections.

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