healthbriefs


Dream on . . . and Learn Better M


odern science has established that sleep can be an important tool for enhancing memory and learning skills. A new study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center sheds light on the role that dreams play in this process. “After nearly 100 years of debate about the function of dreams, this study tells us that dreams are the brain’s way of processing,


integrating and really understanding new information,” says senior author Robert Stickgold, Ph.D. “Dreams are a clear indication that the sleeping brain is working on memories at multiple levels, including ways that will directly improve performance.” Indeed, according to the researchers, these new findings suggest that dreams may be the sleeping brain’s way of telling us that it is hard at work on the process of mem- ory consolidation—integrating our recent experiences to help us with performance- related tasks in the short run, as well as over the long term. In other words, dreams help us translate this material into information that has broad application in our lives.


Happiness Keeps Growing I


s there any good news about growing old? Researchers reported at a recent American Psychological Association convention in Toronto that an increase of happiness and emotional well-being occurs as people mature. Their study of contributing factors showed that older adults exert greater emotional self-control, have learned to avoid or limit stressful situations and are less likely than younger adults to let negative comments or criticism bother them.


Source: HealthDay.com


Stress-Busting Walnuts


A


diet rich in walnuts and walnut oil may prepare the body to deal better with stress, according to a team of Penn State researchers. They specifically con- sidered how these foods, which contain polyunsaturated fats, influence our blood pressure. Their studies showed that wal- nuts and walnut oil have the ability to lower blood pressure, both when we are at rest and in response to stress.


Diet May Affect Our Internal


Clock Our body’s internal clock, the circadian rhythm, helps it


adapt to the cycle of day and


night and regulates func- tions such as sleep and metabolism. Working with lab animals, scientists at Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that a high-fat diet can cause disturbances in this daily rhythm by affecting an animal’s clock-related genes. Significant health conse- quences include irregular sleep/wake cycles and meta- bolic disorders.


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ThroughAyurveda www.HoustonAyurveda.com February 2011 13


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