Full moon night reduces sleep by 20 minutes?
Next time
when your grandmother tells you a folklore as you try to sleep on a full moon
night, tell her to cut short as you are going to lose some sleep owing to the
effect of lunar cycle on your brain.
Researchers have found that people actually sleep 20 minutes less when the moon is full.
"Participants slept an average of 20 minutes less and had more trouble falling asleep during the full moon phase. However, the greatest impact on REM sleep (during which most dreaming is believed to occur) appeared to be during the new moon," said Michael Smith from Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Researchers have found that people actually sleep 20 minutes less when the moon is full.
"Participants slept an average of 20 minutes less and had more trouble falling asleep during the full moon phase. However, the greatest impact on REM sleep (during which most dreaming is believed to occur) appeared to be during the new moon," said Michael Smith from Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Based on a study of 47 healthy adults aged 18 to 30, the results support an earlier theory that a correlation between sleep and the lunar cycle exists.
"The brain is more susceptible to external disturbances when the moon is full," Smith added.
A Swiss research study conducted last year showed that the full moon affects sleep.
The findings demonstrated that people average 20 minutes less sleep, take five minutes longer to fall asleep and experience 30 minutes more of REM sleep.
"There may be a built-in biological clock that is affected by the moon, similar to the one that regulates the circadian rhythm," researchers said.
Re-analysis of the data showed that sensitivity, measured as reactivity of the cerebral cortex in the brain, is greatest during the full moon.
Greater cortical reactivity was found in both women and men whereas only men had more trouble falling asleep and slept less when the moon was full, said the paper that appeared in the journal Current Biology.
Source: www.timesofindia.com
11.07.2014
Caesarean babies have weaker immunity
Children
born through a caesarean section procedure have different intestinal microbes
than children born normally, says a study.
Researchers studied the effects of caesarean section births on the immune system of baby mice.
The study shows that pups delivered by caesarean section had developed a lower number of cells that strengthen the immune system, said Camilla Hansen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Newborns delivered by natural birth are exposed to more bacteria from the mother than those delivered by caesarean section.
According to a hypothesis called the hygiene hypothesis, the newborn baby's immune system in this way learns to distinguish between its own harmless molecules and foreign molecules.
Mice delivered by caesarean section showed a lower number of cells that prevent immune cells from attacking harmless cells.
Autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and allergy are caused by a similar over-reaction by the immune system.
The findings were published in the Journal of Immunology.
Source: www.timesofindia.com
11.07.2014
To avoid situations in which you might
make mistakes may be the biggest mistake of all
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