Scientists have figured out why some people suffer from insomnia. It turned out that their brain is very different from the brain of an ordinary person. The brain of one who suffers from insomnia is characterized by daily activity. For this reason, it is difficult for such a person to “disconnect” at night. This was proved in a survey of 28 people 50 years of age and older.
In 18 of them, insomnia continued throughout the year, and 10 people said that they were sleeping soundly. Specialists decided to measure the plasticity of the brain of volunteers. For this, stimulation of the motor cortex was carried out. During this, involuntary thumb movements were monitored. Then, the experiment participants were taught to move a finger in a certain direction, which was the opposite, when compared with the direction of involuntary movements. After the stimulation was repeated.
As a result, people with less ductility of the motor cortex were able to move their fingers in the opposite direction, which greatly surprised scientists. Their expectations were completely different. At the same time, the brain of people suffering from insomnia showed increased activity. For this reason, people coped with the task. But if you give them a task more difficult, they will fail him, experts are sure.
Increased brain activity is simply not able to cover the lack of sleep. If we talk about brain plasticity, sleep is acutely important to her. Thus, with a lack of sleep, brain plasticity decreases. While experts have not made final conclusions, sleep deprivation provokes increased brain activity or not, or vice versa.
Researchers believe their research may help better diagnose and treat a common and often insoluble sleep disorder. Note that in the United States 15% of the population suffers from insomnia.