Does anyone like to sleep with the TV on? Yes, many people have this habit, especially the elderly. Even when they're asleep, they still don't like turning the TV off. But I found an interesting report that new research shows that people's brain tissue pays attention to unfamiliar sounds while sleeping to stay alert to potential threats.
Austrian researchers have measured brain activity in response to familiar and unfamiliar sounds as adults sleep, and found that hearing unfamiliar sounds while sleeping causes the brain to "tune in" during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. However, the effect was not observed during the deep sleep stage (REM), possibly due to changes in the microscopic structure of the brain, the researchers said.
Even if our eyes are shut off from seeing what's around us (i.e. closed eyes), the brain continues to monitor our surroundings through our hearing while we sleep, balancing staying asleep and needing to wake up. Experts point out that monitoring your surroundings during sleep often chooses to respond to unfamiliar sounds rather than familiar ones.
This may be traced back to the long evolutionary history of humans, the need for quick sobriety in the face of potential danger, characterized by less familiar auditory cues.
Overall, the study showed that unfamiliar sounds, such as those from television sets, can reduce the quality of people's sleep at night. The study, led by researchers at the University of Salzburg, was published in the recent issue of the journal JNeurosci.
According to the team, our latest findings highlight different brain responses to auditory stimuli associated with sleepers, and the findings suggest that unfamiliar sounds are a strong enhancer of brain responses during non-REM sleep.
So do you like to sleep with the TV on?
Austrian researchers have measured brain activity in response to familiar and unfamiliar sounds as adults sleep, and found that hearing unfamiliar sounds while sleeping causes the brain to "tune in" during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. However, the effect was not observed during the deep sleep stage (REM), possibly due to changes in the microscopic structure of the brain, the researchers said.
Even if our eyes are shut off from seeing what's around us (i.e. closed eyes), the brain continues to monitor our surroundings through our hearing while we sleep, balancing staying asleep and needing to wake up. Experts point out that monitoring your surroundings during sleep often chooses to respond to unfamiliar sounds rather than familiar ones.
This may be traced back to the long evolutionary history of humans, the need for quick sobriety in the face of potential danger, characterized by less familiar auditory cues.
Overall, the study showed that unfamiliar sounds, such as those from television sets, can reduce the quality of people's sleep at night. The study, led by researchers at the University of Salzburg, was published in the recent issue of the journal JNeurosci.
According to the team, our latest findings highlight different brain responses to auditory stimuli associated with sleepers, and the findings suggest that unfamiliar sounds are a strong enhancer of brain responses during non-REM sleep.
So do you like to sleep with the TV on?
