Seniors told not to rest up!
There should be no rest for the wicked – or the old, according to a new study into the sleep patterns of older Americans. While common beliefs suggests sleep helps the restoration of the body, researchers from the University of Massachusetts have recently discovered memory fails to be improved during a person’s slumber as old age nears.
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There should be no rest for the wicked – or the old, according to a new study into the sleep patterns of older Americans.
While common beliefs suggests sleep helps the restoration of the body, researchers from the University of Massachusetts have recently discovered memory fails to be improved during a person’s slumber as old age nears.
The study’s participants were asked to remember and learn a sequence of coloured doors before being tested again 12 hours later, either after a night in bed or in the evening of the same day.
Results show young people who took the test after being awake all day made an average of 10 errors, which was halved after they had slept. In comparison, older people made just as many mistakes before getting some shut eye, but there was no recorded improvement after they put their head on the pillow and slept.
Researcher Rebecca Spencer told Silent Night website: “Each sleep stage is accomplishing a different function for our cognitive abilities.
“We think during deep sleep (slow wave sleep). You are literally replaying a memory from the day,” she claimed.
