We’ve all experienced the effects of a poor night’s rest. You may feel grumpy and tired afterwards. Could fragmented sleep be the culprit? Researchers took this question to the lab. They enrolled normal subjects and divided them into three groups:
1. those who had interrupted sleep
2. those who slept less and
3. those who just slept eight hours
The results showed that both groups with “interrupted sleep” or “short sleep” demonstrated a decline in mood with “short sleepers” showing less negative effects on positive mood. However, participants with interupted sleep demonstrated reduced positive mood, low attention span and decreasd cognitive ability. People who lacked continuous sleep, had worse cognitive function. Chronic pain, anxiety, and sleep apnea may all cause fragmented sleep. Overall, waking up in the middle of the night can be just as detrimental to your health as not getting enough hours of rest. Thus avoid everything that could interupt your sleep like too much food, dring, or excitement. For more information about this and other topics please contact us at 352-265-8901 or email us at painresearch@medicine.ufl.edu.