Latest news with #Sahakian
The Independent
27-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Queen's reading charity partners with British Neuroscience Association after research reveals how books boost brain health
The Queen's Reading Room has partnered with the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) to highlight the ways in which books can play a key role in brain health. Camilla's charity is striving to promote the scientifically proven links between reading and wellbeing, such as an almost 20 per cent reduction in stress and sharpened cognitive focus. The charity will host a series of events at the BNA's upcoming Festival of Neuroscience as part of the partnership to boost awareness of how reading can influence not only the way we feel, but also the way we think, speak and sleep. One session will feature Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology Barbara Sahakian, who described reading as 'exercise for the brain'. 'Reading is incredibly good for the brain,' she told The Independent, explaining that the brain's neural networks can be strengthened and improved by reading. 'It not only helps with your brain health, but your cognitive abilities also, because in reading you're working your memory as you can't follow a plot if you're not remembering things. 'You're stretching your creativity and imagination and also, it just makes you feel good. 'It's kind of a bit like exercises and as an all rounder. It's good for your brain, it's good for your cognition, it's good for your mood, it's good for you're wellbeing.' Explaining why reading can reduce stress so effectively, Professor Sahakian said: 'Part of [treating] stress is relaxation techniques, but the other thing is to take your mind away from what you're dwelling on, as people tend to ruminate on it. 'Reading takes you into a different world in another place so that you're very quickly immersed in something else and you're not thinking about all these things that have been stressing you out.' She added: 'Its good for wellbeing as well as reducing feelings of loneliness as it's been shown that you can develop empathy and an understanding of other people's perspectives through reading.' Professor Sahakian also explained the benefits of reading for children at a young age. Referring to a study comparing the development of children who began reading at different stages of life, she said: 'What it showed was that when they became adolescents, the children who had started reading early had better brain structure and better cognition.' They also had better school attainment, less mental health symptoms and slept better. 'Having children read early in life is a small thing we can do for people but has a major impact on adolescence,' she said. The partnership comes after studies carried out by The Queen's Reading Room last year found just five minutes of reading can reduce stress by 19 per cent and improve cognitive focus by 11 per cent. The research also showed reading can help people feel more connected to others and empathetic. The study - which used brain scans, skin conductance tests and a nationally representative study developed by neuroscientists - also found that reading earlier in the day can help readers feel ready to tackle challenges. The conference in Liverpool will also include a Queen's Reading Room pop-up, where delegates can take a reading break. The books will then be donated to a local charity, The Brain Food Cafe, a wellness initiative supporting people with neurological conditions. Camilla launched The Reading Room on Instagram in January 2021 as the Duchess of Cornwall before the project was relaunched as charity The Queen's Reading Room in February 2023. Chief executive of The Queen's Reading Room, Vicki Perrin said: 'The Queen's Reading Room is privileged to be partnering with The British Neuroscience Association on this landmark event in the scientific calendar. 'As a Charity, we are passionate about promoting the health and wellbeing benefits associated with reading, and look forward to bringing neuroscience and literature closer together through a very special public lecture and plenary session which will highlight the transformative power of books.'
Filipino Times
26-04-2025
- Health
- Filipino Times
Teens who sleep earlier show better brain function, study finds
Teenagers who sleep earlier and longer may perform better in school and daily thinking tasks, a new study has found. Researchers discovered that even small differences in sleep schedules could have a big effect on a young person's mental abilities. The study looked at over 3,000 teens and found that those who went to bed the earliest and had the longest sleep scored higher in reading, vocabulary, and problem-solving tests. These teens also had lower resting heart rates while they slept, which is often a sign of better health. 'We think that it's the sleep driving the better cognitive abilities, in part because we consolidate our memories during sleep,' said Barbara Sahakian, a professor at the University of Cambridge. The research was done by Sahakian's team and experts from Fudan University in Shanghai. It used data from the U.S.-based Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, where teens had brain scans, took cognitive tests, and wore Fitbits to track their sleep. The study grouped the teens into three sleep patterns. Those who slept the earliest and longest had an average of seven hours and 25 minutes of sleep. Even then, none of the groups reached the recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep advised by sleep experts. Experts suggest avoiding phone or computer use in the evening and staying active during the day to help improve sleep. Good sleep habits may support better memory, focus, and thinking skills, which can help teens in their studies and daily life.
Al Etihad
24-04-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
Study finds teenagers with early bedtimes show sharper mental skills
24 Apr 2025 13:02 (WAM)Teenagers who go to bed earlier and enjoy longer sleep tend to have sharper mental skills and perform better in cognitive tests, according to new research, a new study involving more than 3,000 adolescents has study revealed that those who went to bed the earliest, slept the longest and had the lowest resting heart rates during sleep outperformed their peers in reading, vocabulary, problem-solving and other cognitive researchers anticipated that teenagers with healthier sleep habits would score higher, they were surprised by the significant impact even small differences in sleep patterns could make.'We think that it's the sleep driving the better cognitive abilities, in part because we consolidate our memories during sleep,' said Barbara Sahakian, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of team and researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai analysed data from 3,222 young people in the adolescent brain cognitive development study, the largest long-term investigation into brain development and child health in the US. Those who took part had brain scans, cognitive tests, and tracked their sleep using the healthier habits of some teenagers, the study found that even the best sleepers were not meeting recommended sleep durations. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises that those aged between 13 and 18 should sleep for eight to 10 hours per participants were divided into three distinct sleep pattern groups. The first group, comprising 39 percent, went to bed the latest and woke the earliest, averaging seven hours and 10 minutes of sleep. The second group, 24 percent, averaged seven hours and 21 minutes of third group, accounting for 37 percent, went to bed the earliest, slept the longest and had the lowest sleeping heart rates, with an average of seven hours and 25 minutes of Sahakian described the results as 'surprising', noting that small differences in sleep duration appeared to significantly influence outcomes. 'It suggests that small differences in sleep amounts accrue over time to make a big difference in outcomes,' she said. To improve sleep and support better mental performance, Sahakian recommends regular physical activity and avoiding the use of mobile phones or computers in the late evening.
Gulf News
23-04-2025
- Health
- Gulf News
Think sleep doesn't matter? New study shows early-bed teens outperform their peers
Dubai: For many of us, bedtime as children was non-negotiable - parents enforced strict lights-out rules with one core message: if you want to do well in school, you need a good night's sleep. As it turns out, they may have been right all along. A new study, published on April 16 in the scientific journal Cell Reports, has reinforced the idea that sleep is crucial for cognitive performance in teenagers. Conducted by researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai and the University of Cambridge, the study monitored the sleep habits of over 3,000 adolescents and found that those who went to bed earlier, slept longer, and had lower heart rates during sleep consistently outperformed their peers in cognitive tasks such as reading, vocabulary, and problem solving. 'Regularly getting a good night's sleep is important in helping us function properly,' said Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, one of the study's authors. 'While we know a lot about sleep in adulthood and later life, we know surprisingly little about sleep during adolescence, even though this is a crucial time in our development.' The research drew on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term investigation into brain development and child health in the United States. Previous studies in this area often relied on self-reported sleep patterns, which can be unreliable. To overcome this, researchers used wearable fitness trackers (FitBits) to collect objective sleep data from more than 3,200 participants aged between 11-12 years old. These adolescents also underwent brain scans and cognitive assessments. To validate their findings, the researchers cross-checked the results with two additional groups of 13- to 14-year-olds, totalling around 1,190 participants. The team identified three distinct sleep pattern groups: Group One (39 per cent of participants) slept an average of 7 hours and 10 minutes. They tended to go to bed the latest and woke up the earliest. Group Two (24 per cent) had a slightly longer average sleep duration of 7 hours and 21 minutes, with average sleep timing. Group Three (37 per cent) clocked the longest average sleep - 7 hours and 25 minutes and went to bed the earliest. They also recorded the lowest sleeping heart rates. While academic performance at school did not significantly differ across the three groups, the cognitive test results told another story. Group Three, the earliest sleepers with the most rest and lowest heart rates outperformed both Group Two and Group One on tasks related to memory, vocabulary, reading, and focus. Professor Sahakian described the findings as 'surprising', telling The Guardian that even relatively minor differences in sleep accumulated over time to make a substantial difference in outcomes. Dr Qing Ma from Fudan University, another lead author, added: 'Although our study can't conclusively prove that better sleep causes improved brain function, there is a growing body of research suggesting this link. For instance, sleep has well-documented benefits for memory consolidation, which plays a vital role in learning.' The study also examined the participants' heart rates during sleep, another strong indicator of sleep quality. Lower heart rates, as seen in Group Three, are often associated with better sleep and overall health. Conversely, higher heart rates can signal restless sleep, frequent awakenings, or poor sleep quality.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Teenagers who sleep longer and earlier are likely to do better at tests, study finds
Young people who go to bed earlier and sleep for longer than their peers tend to have better brain function and perform better at cognitive tests, according to researchers from the UK and China. A study of more than 3,000 adolescents found that those who got an early night, slept longer and had the lowest sleeping heart rates would outperform others on reading, vocabulary, problem solving and other mental tests. Professor Barbara Sahakian, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, said: 'Regularly getting a good night's sleep is important in helping us function properly, but while we know a lot about sleep in adulthood and later life, we know surprisingly little about sleep in adolescence, even though this is a crucial time in our development. 'How long do young people sleep for, for example, and what impact does this have on their brain function and cognitive performance?' While it has long been understood that sleep plays an important role in helping bodies function, researchers were surprised by the impact of even the smallest differences in sleep. Professor Sahakian added: 'Even though the differences in the amount of sleep that each group got was relatively small, at just over a quarter-of-an-hour between the best and worst sleepers, we could still see differences in brain structure and activity and in how well they did at tasks. This drives home to us just how important it is to have a good night's sleep at this important time in life.' Typically, studies looking at how young people sleep have relied on self-reporting, which can be inaccurate. Researchers at Fudan University, Shanghai, and the University of Cambridge turned to data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States. As part of this study, researchers gave young people Fitbits to gather objective data on their sleep patterns and compare it against brain scans and results from cognitive tests. They found the adolescents could be divided into one of three groups. Group one, accounting for 39 per cent of participants, slept an average of seven hours and 10 minutes. They tended to sleep the latest and wake the earliest. Group two, accounting for 24 per cent, slept an average of seven hours and 21 minutes, with average levels across all sleep characteristics. Meanwhile, group three, accounting for 37 per cent, slept an average of seven hours and 25 minutes. They went to bed and fell asleep the earliest, and had lower heart rates during sleep. Researchers found no significant differences in the school achievements between these groups, but group three outperformed the other two when it came to cognitive tests looking at vocabulary, reading, problem solving and focus. They also had the largest brain volume and best brain functions, while group one had the smallest volume and poorest brain functions. First author Dr Qing Ma from Fudan University said: 'Although our study can't answer conclusively whether young people have better brain function and perform better at tests because they sleep better, there are a number of studies that would support this idea. 'For example, research has shown the benefits of sleep on memory, especially on memory consolidation, which is important for learning.' The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that the ideal amount of sleep during adolescence is between eight and 10 hours.
