Here’s the sleep news for this week:
Sleep quality is a stronghold against depression and anxiety
If you feel more emotionally resilient when you’re getting good sleep, you’re not alone. A recent study published in Cortex shows a strong association between quality sleep and resilience to mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, especially under chronic stress. Researchers analyzed data from over 600 participants during COVID-19 and found that positive coping strategies, supported by high-quality sleep, helped to prevent poor mental health outcomes. Additionally, better sleep quality was associated with fewer symptoms of both depression and anxiety during the initial months of the pandemic. The study’s findings stress the importance of targeting both positive coping strategies and sleep quality to endure periods of chronic stress.
15% of U.S. couples sleep separate
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine conducted a national survey which found that 15% of Americans sleep separately or engage in a “sleep divorce” for better sleep. A sleep divorce is a strategy for assisting people in falling asleep and staying asleep without interruptions like snoring, missing covers, or early alarms.
"We know that poor sleep can worsen your mood, and those who are sleep deprived are more likely to argue with their partners. There may be some resentment toward the person causing the sleep disruption, which can negatively impact relationships," Dr. Seema Khosla, a pulmonologist and spokesperson for the AASM, said in a release Monday.
Additionally, the survey found 43% of millennials participate in sleep divorce, followed by 33% of those in Generation X, 28% of Generation Z, and 22% of baby boomers.
People who microdose LSD sleep an extra 24 minutes the following night
Microdosing with LSD could increase the duration of sleep the following night, according to a new study. Microdosing involves regularly taking psychedelic substances like LSD or psilocybin at doses that are too small to produce hallucinations but ample enough to potentially boost creativity and well-being.
The study followed 80 men over 3,231 nights of sleep. The participants took 10 micrograms every third morning for six weeks, filling out a survey every morning and using a wearable sleep tracker to monitor their activity and sleep. The LSD group reported feeling happier and more creative on days they microdosed. The LSD group also slept for the same length of time as the placebo group when they had microdosed that day, but went to bed earlier and slept for an extra 24 minutes on average the following night, even though physical activity levels were the same between the groups. This unexpected finding may help to explain why the practice has been associated with improved mental health.
In more fun sleep news…
Are you an avid ASMR listener and a hardcore Pokémon fan? This may be your lucky day! The Pokémon Company launched an ASMR livestream today featuring their sleepiest character, Snorlax. If you log on to the stream, you’ll be met with Snorlax having a good rest in a lush forest clearing, snoring peacefully as other Pokémon come and go, sometimes lying down for a nap as well. From time to time, Snorlax rolls around, yawns, or gets itself a snack, but it mainly is just in a blissful slumber.
In social media news…
Sam Hart shares her struggles with excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia) and hypopnea on TikTok and details the process of getting a sleep study.
