Fragmented Sleep Impairs Memory

Interrupted sleep affects the ability to form memories. Findings by the National Academy of Sciences may help explain memory problems linked to diseases, including Alzheimer's and sleep apnea.

In the study conducted on rats, the analyzed sleep was fragmented but not shorter or less intense than normal. Researchers sent light pulses directly into the brains of sleeping rats. This allowed them to disturb sleep without affecting total sleep time or quality.

The animals were then placed in a box with two objects, one of which was already familiar to them. Naturally, they would spend more time examining the new object, and those with uninterrupted sleep did exactly that. However, those whose sleep was interrupted showed equal interest in both objects, suggesting that their memories had been affected.

As the brain uses deep sleep to evaluate the day's events and decide what to retain, the research concluded that sleep disturbances make it difficult for animals to recognize familiar objects.

Sleep continuity, according to the researchers, is one of the main factors affected in several memory-impairing diseases, including Alzheimer's and other age-related cognitive deficits. Interrupted sleep also affects individuals with alcohol addiction and those with sleep apnea – a condition in which the throat repeatedly narrows or closes during sleep, restricting oxygen and causing the person to awaken.

And while there is no evidence of a causal link between sleep disruption and any of these diseases, a minimal amount of uninterrupted sleep is crucial for memory consolidation. [Source: BBC]

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