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Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Ever woken up tired after full night's sleep? Neuroscientists study brain scans to find out why
We've all had those mornings when no matter how early we slept or how long we rested, waking up still feels like a battle. Now, new research suggests the problem might not be your bedtime habits, but what's actually happening inside your brain when you wake up. A new study, published in Current Biology, looked at how our brain works during the time when we wake up. Scientists at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience tracked the brain activity of 20 people, recording more than 1,000 wake-ups, some natural, others triggered by an alarm. 'The surprise is how consistent [this pattern] was across every awakening and also how it related to the subjective measures,' Francesca Siclari, the study's senior author and a neuroscientist at the Institute, was quoted as saying by Nature. Each person wore a special cap with 256 sensors that picked up brain signals every second. By watching how the brain 'turned on,' the researchers found that the way people woke up depended on which stage of sleep they were in. When people were woken up during REM sleep– the stage when we usually dream, they were more likely to feel tired and slow. That's because their brain switched on in a certain order. First, the front part of the brain (which helps with thinking and decision-making) becomes active. Then, a slow wave of activity moves to the back of the brain, where we process what we see. In contrast, people woken from non-REM sleep had a slightly different pattern. The brain wave started more in the middle and moved in the same direction but may have felt more natural. This research could help doctors better understand why some people wake up feeling refreshed while others feel tired, even if they slept for the same amount of time. It might also help in studying sleep disorders or problems like feeling tired all the time. 'Knowing exactly how brain activity is characterized during a normal awakening [means] we can better compare it to these abnormal awakenings,' Siclari said. While more studies are needed, especially to see how other factors such as body movement affect sleep, this study shows that how we wake up matters just as much as how long we sleep. (This article has been curated by Kaashvi Khubyani, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
Time of India
15-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Insomnia could be reason behind reduced quality of life among people with ADHDL: Study
New Delhi: Insomnia, or sleep disturbances, arising out of ADHD's impulsivity could be the reason why adults with ADHD symptoms experience a reduced quality of life, according to a new study. Usually diagnosed during childhood and teenage, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is marked with restlessness, hyperactivity, and short attention spans. It is the neuro-developmental disorder linked with a delayed maturing of prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is crucial for attention and focus. Researchers, led by those from the University of Southampton, UK, and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, found that ADHD symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity in adults were associated with more severe insomnia, a lower sleep quality and preference for going to bed and waking up late. The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Mental Health, looked at data from the Netherlands Sleep Registry, an online survey of more than ten thousand adult participants. Responses from 1,364 middle-aged and older adult participants on questions about ADHD traits, sleep disturbances, circadian factors, depression and quality of life were analysed. "We know that sleep disruption can impact neurobehavioural and cognitive systems, including attention and emotional regulation. At the same time, sleep disruption may arise from ADHD-related impulsivity and hyperactivity, suggesting a reinforcing cycle between sleep disorders and ADHD," senior author Sarah L Chellappa, associate professor of psychology at the University of Southampton, said. People with ADHD are diagnosed with sleep disorder about eight times more than the general population, which can show up as a delayed onset of sleep, moving more while asleep, daytime sleepiness or a shorter night-time sleep, the authors said. "We show that adult ADHD traits and insomnia severity were significant predictors of lower (quality of life) and that insomnia severity mediated this association," they wrote. Differences in cognition or thought processes among people with ADHD, along with those in sleep and body clock-related genes in ADHD could be potential mechanisms, the team said. "Adults with ADHD traits may be more likely to have low sleep quality, insomnia complaints, and low mood levels, all of which lead to reduced life satisfaction," co-author Samuele Cortese from the University of Southampton said. "There needs to be more research to understand this complex interplay. By improving our understanding, we could uncover treatment options that improve the quality of life of people with ADHD," Cortese said. PTI
