scholarly journals Exposure to relaxing words during sleep promotes slow-wave sleep and subjective sleep quality

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Beck ◽  
Erna Loretz ◽  
Björn Rasch
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Sleep Depth ◽  
Activity Band ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Subjective Level

AbstractOur thoughts alter our sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We propose that mental processes are active to a greater or lesser extent during sleep and that this degree of activation affects our sleep depth. We examined this notion by activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words in 50 healthy participants. In support of our hypothesis, playing relaxing words during non-rapid eye movement sleep extended the time spent in slow-wave sleep, increased power in the slow-wave activity band after the word cue, and abolished an asymmetrical sleep depth during the word presentation period. On the subjective level, participants reported a higher sleep quality and elevated alertness ratings. Our results support the notion that the activation of mental concepts during sleep can influence sleep depth and provide a basis for interventions using targeted activations to promote sleep depth and sleep quality to foster well-being and health.

scholarly journals Exposure to relaxing words during sleep promotes slow-wave sleep and subjective sleep quality

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Beck ◽  
Erna Loretz ◽  
Björn Rasch
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Sleep Depth ◽  
Activity Band ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Subjective Alertness ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract Our thoughts alter our sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We propose that mental processes are active to a greater or lesser extent during sleep and that this degree of activation affects our sleep depth. We examined this notion by activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words in 50 healthy participants. In support of our hypothesis, playing relaxing words during non-rapid eye movement sleep extended the time spent in slow-wave sleep, increased power in the slow-wave activity band after the word cue, and abolished an asymmetrical sleep depth during the word presentation period. In addition, participants reported a higher sleep quality and elevated subjective alertness. Our results support the notion that the activation of mental concepts during sleep can influence sleep depth. They provide a basis for interventions using targeted activations to promote sleep depth and sleep quality to foster well-being and health.

scholarly journals Improving night-time sleep with hypnotic suggestions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maren Jasmin Cordi ◽  
Laurent Rossier ◽  
Björn Rasch
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Improve Sleep Quality ◽  
Hypnotic Suggestions

AbstractSlow-wave sleep (SWS) is fundamental for maintaining our health and well-being, and SWS is typically reduced in stress-related sleep disturbances and age-related sleep disorders. We have previously reported that exposure to hypnotic suggestions before sleep effectively increases the duration of SWS during a midday nap in younger and older women suggestible for hypnosis.However, it remains unclear whether this beneficial effect of hypnosis on SWS can be generalized to night-time sleep and men. Therefore, we tested the effect of the hypnotic suggestions on SWS across an 8 hours night-time sleeping interval in 43 healthy young French-speaking subjects (19 males) of high and low suggestibility. In accordance with our previous results, listening to hypnotic suggestions before sleep increased the amount of SWS in highly suggestible subjects significantly by 13 min compared to a control condition in both genders. Particularly in the first hour, slow-wave activity was significantly increased after hypnosis as compared to the control night in high suggestible. The hypnosis-induced benefits on objective sleep parameters were also reflected in increased subjective sleep quality ratings. Our results demonstrate that hypnotic suggestions are an effective tool to deepen sleep and improve sleep quality also across a whole night of sleep in young healthy men and women. Our findings provide an important basis for the examination and potential application of hypnosis to improve deep sleep in populations with sleep disturbances.

scholarly journals The influence of subjective sleep quality on the association between eveningness and depressive symptoms.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Mary Horne ◽  
Ray Norbury
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Subjective Sleep ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Healthy Participants

Increasing evidence suggests that eveningness is associated with increased risk for depression. Eveningness, however, is also associated with poor sleep quality and the unique role of eveningness in depressive symptomatology remains to be elucidated. The goal of the current study, therefore, was to examine the inter-relationships between eveningness, subjective sleep quality and depressive symptoms in healthy participants free of current or previous depression and sleep disorder. Here, 167 healthy participants (mean age 24.16, 129/38 females/males) completed the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Bootstrap mediation analysis for a simple mediation model including rMEQ, PSQI and CES-D was applied. Eveningness was associated with increased depressive symptoms and mediation analysis showed that this relationship was partly mediated by sleep quality. Our results suggest that indicators of depression observed in evening-type individuals cannot be attributed exclusively to disturbed sleep. We suggest that interventions that target both sleep quality and dysfunctionl cognitive styles would be optimal to promote well-being in evening-type individuals.

scholarly journals 0337 Effects of Slow Wave Sleep Augmentation on Subjective Sleep Quality

SLEEP ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. A129-A129
Author(s):  
M L Lamphere ◽  
C S Robinson ◽  
N B Bryant ◽  
A P Jones ◽  
B Robert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Subjective Sleep

scholarly journals Sleep during an Antarctic summer expedition: new light on “polar insomnia”

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Pattyn ◽  
Olivier Mairesse ◽  
Aisha Cortoos ◽  
Nele Marcoen ◽  
Xavier Neyt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Extreme Environment ◽  
Phase Delay ◽  
Continuous Illumination ◽  
Melatonin Secretion ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Sleep Complaints ◽  
Psychomotor Vigilance

Sleep complaints are consistently cited as the most prominent health and well-being problem in Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, without clear evidence to identify the causal mechanisms. The present investigation aimed at studying sleep and determining circadian regulation and mood during a 4-mo Antarctic summer expedition. All data collection was performed during the continuous illumination of the Antarctic summer. After an habituation night and acclimatization to the environment (3 wk), ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) was performed in 21 healthy male subjects, free of medication. An 18-h profile (saliva sampling every 2 h) of cortisol and melatonin was assessed. Mood, sleepiness, and subjective sleep quality were assessed, and the psychomotor vigilance task was administered. PSG showed, in addition to high sleep fragmentation, a major decrease in slow-wave sleep (SWS) and an increase in stage R sleep. Furthermore, the ultradian rhythmicity of sleep was altered, with SWS occurring mainly at the end of the night and stage R sleep at the beginning. Cortisol secretion profiles were normal; melatonin secretion, however, showed a severe phase delay. There were no mood alterations according to the Profile of Mood States scores, but the psychomotor vigilance test showed an impaired vigilance performance. These results confirm previous reports on “polar insomnia”, the decrease in SWS, and present novel insight, the disturbed ultradian sleep structure. A hypothesis is formulated linking the prolonged SWS latency to the phase delay in melatonin. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present paper presents a rare body of work on sleep and sleep wake regulation in the extreme environment of an Antarctic expedition, documenting the effects of constant illumination on sleep, mood, and chronobiology. For applied research, these results suggest the potential efficiency of melatonin supplementation in similar deployments. For fundamental research, these results warrant further investigation of the potential link between melatonin secretion and the onset of slow-wave sleep.

scholarly journals The Benefits of Closed-Loop Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Subjective Sleep Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Robinson ◽  
Natalie Bryant ◽  
Joshua Maxwell ◽  
Aaron Jones ◽  
Bradley Robert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
The United States ◽  
Alternating Current ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Subjective Sleep ◽  
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

Background: Poor sleep quality is a common complaint, affecting over one third of people in the United States. While sleep quality is thought to be related to slow-wave sleep (SWS), there has been little investigation to address whether modulating slow-wave oscillations (SWOs) that characterize SWS could impact sleep quality. Here we examined whether closed-loop transcranial alternating current stimulation (CL-tACS) applied during sleep impacts sleep quality and efficiency. Methods: CL-tACS was used in 21 participants delivered at the same frequency and in phase with endogenous SWOs during sleep. Sleep quality was assessed in the morning following either verum or sham control stimulation during sleep, with order counterbalanced within participants. Results: Higher sleep quality and efficiency were found after verum stimulation nights compared to control. The largest effects on sleep quality were found immediately following an adaptation night in the laboratory for which sleep quality was reduced. Conclusions: Applying CL-tACS at the same frequency and phase as endogenous SWOs may offer a novel method to improve subjective sleep quality after a night with poor quality sleep. CL-tACS might be helpful for increasing sleep quality and efficiency in otherwise healthy people, and in patients with clinical disorders that involve sleep deficits.

035 Activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A15-A16
Author(s):  
Jonas Beck ◽  
Erna Loretz ◽  
Björn Rasch
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Sleep Cycle ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Subjective Sleep Quality ◽  
Subjective Sleep ◽  
Sleep Depth ◽  
Sleep Physiology

Abstract Introduction Cognitive processes (e.g., rumination, perception of an unfamiliar sleeping environment, relaxation techniques) alter our sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. Theories of embodied or grounded cognition assume that semantic meaning is stored in multimodal neuronal networks. We therefore assume that cognitive concepts are closely linked to related bodily functions. We propose that mental processes are active to a greater or lesser extent during sleep and that this degree of activation affects our sleep depth. Methods We examined this notion by activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words in 50 healthy participants. After an adaption night, subjects slept in the sleep laboratory for two experimental nights according to a within-subject cross-over design. During one experimental night, relaxing words (e.g., “sea”, “relax”) were presented to promote sleep depth. During the other experimental night, control words were presented (e.g., “produce”, “materials”). As the amount of SWS peaks within the first sleep cycle, words were presented during NREM sleep starting with the second sleep cycle (at the latest 120 min after sleep onset). In addition, a mood and a subjective sleep quality questionnaire was conducted. Results In support of our hypothesis, playing relaxing words during non-rapid eye movement sleep extended the time spent in slow-wave sleep during the period, when words were presented. Furthermore, power in the slow-wave activity band was increased several seconds after the cue for relaxing compared with control words. The increased sleep depth by means of relaxing words was accompanied by a reduced interhemispheric asymmetry of SWA and slow-wave density in the during-cueing period. The changes observed in objective sleep translated to the subjective level with an increase in subjective sleep quality and alertness ratings. Conclusion The present study showed that the semantic meaning of words presented during NREM sleep is capable of affecting sleep physiology, SWS maintenance and the subjective evaluation of sleep quality. Our results support the notion that the activation of mental concepts during sleep can influence sleep depth and provide a basis for interventions using targeted activations to promote sleep depth and sleep quality to foster well-being and health. Support (if any):

scholarly journals A pilot study on essential oil aroma stimulation for enhancing slow-wave EEG in sleeping brain

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Wei Ko ◽  
Cheng-Hua Su ◽  
Meng-Hsun Yang ◽  
Shen-Yi Liu ◽  
Tung-Ping Su
Keyword(s):  
Essential Oil ◽  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Sleep Eeg ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Poor Sleep Quality ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Study Results

AbstractSleep quality is important to health and life quality. Lack of sleep can lead to a variety of health issues and reduce in daytime function. Recent study by Fultz et al. also indicated that sleep is crucial to brain metabolism. Delta power in sleep EEG often indicates good sleep quality while alpha power usually indicates sleep interruptions and poor sleep quality. Essential oil has been speculated to improve sleep quality. Previous studies also suggest essential oil aroma may affect human brain activity when applied awake. However, those studies were often not blinded, which makes the effectiveness and mechanism of aroma a heavily debated topic. In this study, we aim to explore the effect of essential oil aroma on human sleep quality and sleep EEG in a single-blinded setup. The aroma was released when the participants are asleep, which kept the influence of psychological expectation to the minimum. We recruited nine young, healthy participants with regular lifestyle and no sleep problem. All participants reported better sleep quality and more daytime vigorous after exposing to lavender aroma in sleep. We also observed that upon lavender aroma releases, alpha wave in wake stage was reduced while delta wave in slow-wave sleep (SWS) was increased. Lastly, we found that lavender oil promote occurrence of SWS. Overall, our study results show that essential oil aroma can be used to promote both subjective and objective sleep quality in healthy human subjects. This makes aroma intervention a potential solution for poor sleep quality and insomnia.

Changes in sleep quality of athletes under normobaric hypoxia equivalent to 2,000-m altitude: a polysomnographic study

2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 2005-2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masako Hoshikawa ◽  
Sunao Uchida ◽  
Takayuki Sugo ◽  
Yasuko Kumai ◽  
Yoshiteru Hanai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Quality ◽  
Slow Wave ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Sleep Stage ◽  
Normobaric Hypoxia ◽  
Fast Fourier Transformation ◽  
Urinary Catecholamines ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Subjective Sleepiness

This study evaluated the sleep quality of athletes in normobaric hypoxia at a simulated altitude of 2,000 m. Eight male athletes slept in normoxic condition (NC) and hypoxic conditions equivalent to those at 2,000-m altitude (HC). Polysomnographic recordings of sleep included the electroencephalogram (EEG), electrooculogram, chin surface electromyogram, and electrocardiogram. Thoracic and abdominal motion, nasal and oral airflow, and arterial blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) were also recorded. Standard visual sleep stage scoring and fast Fourier transformation analyses of the EEG were performed on 30-s epochs. Subjective sleepiness and urinary catecholamines were also monitored. Mean SaO2 decreased and respiratory disturbances increased with HC. The increase in respiratory disturbances was significant, but the increase was small and subclinical. The duration of slow-wave sleep (stage 3 and 4) and total delta power (<3 Hz) of the all-night non-rapid eye movement sleep EEG decreased for HC compared with NC. Subjective sleepiness and amounts of urinary catecholamines did not differ between the conditions. These results indicate that acute exposure to normobaric hypoxia equivalent to that at 2,000-m altitude decreased slow-wave sleep in athletes, but it did not change subjective sleepiness or amounts of urinary catecholamines.

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