If you want to wake up feeling mentally prepared for the day, try these sleep hacks. Please wear an eye mask.
A study involving 122 participants in two experiments found that blocking out ambient light while sleeping may improve alertness and memory the next day.
Researchers from research institutes in the UK, Italy and the US say this is further evidence of a link between light and sleep, and that controlling the former helps control the latter.
“Ambient light can affect the structure and timing of sleep.” write Researcher of the published paper.
“We investigated how wearing an eye mask to block light during nighttime sleep affects memory and attention. These changes can help with daily tasks such as studying and driving.” there is potential.”
In the first experiment, 89 adults between the ages of 18 and 35 were asked to wear an eye mask while sleeping for a week. next week.
Lab tests conducted on the last two days of each week showed that participants performed better on a word-pair association task that measures their ability to recall events and experiences after covering their eyes during sleep. rice field. They also performed well on tests measuring reaction time.
In a second experiment, 33 adult volunteers between the ages of 18 and 35 wore an eye mask, a device that measures light intensity upon waking, and a wearable headband to measure brain activity during sleep. bottom.
To acclimate to the conditions, participants slept with an intact eye mask one night and a perforated eye mask the second night. This was followed by two nights of sleep for him under the same conditions, but this time with additional testing.
Again, word-pair association tasks while wearing an eye mask help learn new information and form fresh memories. Furthermore, the data provided by the headband suggests an association between mask wearing and slow-wave sleep duration, which is known to be important with respect to improving memory.
“Effects on memory were predicted by time spent in slow-wave sleep while wearing the mask.” write researcher.
“This suggests that wearing an eye mask while sleeping is an effective, economical and non-invasive behavior that may benefit cognitive function and have a measurable impact on daily life.” suggests.
Based on questionnaires completed by volunteers in both experiments, wearing an eye mask did not affect the timing or duration of sleep, so it is unlikely that these factors influenced the test results.
More and more research shows how important sleep is to our overall health and wellness. It helps regulate the body, influences emotional processing in the brain, and influences social patterns.
Many of our daily tasks require alertness and high memory, so consider incorporating them into your evening routine. It may be worth it.
“Given the current state of life hacking, sleep monitoring and cognitive enhancers, our findings suggest that eye masks are a simple, economical and non-invasive way to get more out of your night’s sleep. It suggests that write researcher.
This research sleepy.
