Although the general benefits of a good night’s sleep are well established, one-third of American adults do not get a sufficient amount of sleep. Recent research sheds new light on the extensive effects of sleep on the brain, as well as the harms caused by sleep loss. The studies were presented at Neuroscience 2017, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Adequate restful sleep leads to improved cognitive function and enhanced memory formation, while insufficient, restless sleep has harmful effects such as impaired memory and judgement, and can lead to increased risk for medical conditions such as stroke, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The connection between sleep and brain function has long been an area of exploration for neuroscientists.