Your brain is busy as you sleep. Sleep time is when we “save” important memories from the day. Saving memories involves information transmitted between brain regions. The process is highly coordinated and relies on how you breathe!
Every inhale and exhale drives your most persistent bodily rhythm.
Even though few of us are aware of it during the day, our pattern of breathing reflects how we are feeling. Every exciting moment involves a faster breath pace, and every relaxed moment can be identified by slower breathing. How you breathe influences your ability to pay attention, form cohesive thoughts, and whether you perceive the outside world as safe or dangerous. For more info on the link between daily stress and breathing, check out how breath work eases anxiety symptoms.
As you sleep, breathing synchronizes different brain regions to help you learn. Research over the last decade has begun to link our essential breathing pattern with other bodily rhythms as we sleep. Many behavior circuits are active at once, and breathing synchronizes them.
An expert on this topic explains, “We tend to think of the brain as divided between circuits that keep us alive, that control our heartbeat and lungs, with the rest somewhat separate, for thinking and exploring the world. They are actually tightly entwined.” Circuits involved with filling and emptying your lungs are also guiding other brain functions and the flow of information in your brain.
It has long been appreciated that slowing the breath connects us to a calmer state of mind. How we breathe directly changes brain activity, acting “as a pacemaker” for other circuits. This was supported by recording activity from thousands of brain cells during sleep.
Sleep is when we create long-term memories, so those with a better respiratory rhythm may have learning and memory advantages. But what happens if the way we breathe at night is disrupted?
We know sleep is crucial for a strong memory, but what if our sleep time is not sufficient? This is what occurs for about a third of all adults worldwide. Studies on this topic suggest that in addition to memory, daily mood reflects whether we need more sleep.
Another issue we face is that many are affected by disordered breathing during sleep. For example, the prevalence of moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing is at least 13% of men and 6% of women between age 30 and 70.
A leading type of sleep disordered breathing is apnea. This involves fragmented sleep due to short periods of halted breathing, which cause blood oxygen levels to dip. The brain suffers from these repeated interruptions, as revealed by memory testing. Those with sleep apnea have memory networks that are impaired by sleep interruptions.
On a related note, sleep apnea is also a risk factor for more difficult experiences with COVID-19. For instance, those with apnea have an “8-fold greater risk for infection” and have twice the risk of developing respiratory failure if hospitalized with COVID. This indicates that addressing sleep apnea is important for a healthy immune response.
Learning and memory is sensitive to how you sleep. When sleep time is short, clear thinking becomes more difficult. In healthy adults, adding more sleep time to your routine can help. In fact, studies suggest this may be necessary to reverse memory deficits.
Even small changes can benefit memory. One study simply had participants stop using their mobile phone 30 minutes before bedtime. Study participants fell asleep faster, had more positive daily moods, and improved their working memory.
Spending more time in bed is not enough for those with apnea, however. The good news is that sleep apnea treatments based on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) are highly effective. CPAP use can significantly improve mood, especially in those who have symptoms of depression. As sleep experts explain, “Patients with sleep apnea often complain of daily forgetfulness, like losing their keys, forgetting phone numbers, or forgetting daily tasks. But where memory is concerned, we may have the ability to reverse some of the impairments with CPAP treatment.” Those who use CPAPs for at least 6 hours a night are nearly eight times more likely to recover normal memory abilities.
Many Treo members select sleep as a habit tile. When we are open to tracking how much sleep we get, it can help us anticipate the symptoms of sleep deprivation. We may also have more awareness of how we can get to bed earlier or opportunities for naps. As shown in the research and in our members, mood and memory are quick to improve when we take better care of our sleep hygiene. Curious to know how your workplace can use Treo for customizable habit tracking? Let’s get in touch!
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
© 2024 Treo Wellness.
