Apparently if you lose sleep that isn’t all you may lose! Research conducted by Ellemarije Altena and Ysbrand van der Werf has uncovered an interesting side effect in insomnia sufferers.
Their brain volume was found to be less than for people with normal sleeping patterns. The grey matter density was decreased and a correlation found between the amount of quality sleep obtained and the brain volume decrease.
Clearly getting a good nights sleep is important not only for functional reasons but also for maintaining optimal brain efficiency.
So the bottom line would appear to be that sleep disorders of any type need to be taken seriously and a suitable treatment should always be sought. Visiting your Physician if you have difficulty sleeping would be an excellent idea as would lowering your stress levels.
Stress has been shown to be a strong factor in determining how well we sleep and as it’s under our direct control why not start there?
The full article can be found here – Lose Sleep, Losing Brain
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