Researchers have spent years studying why stress often disrupts people’s sleeping schedules, causing tossing and turning at night. They have also examined how stress might reduce our ability to recall important information the next day. Our mind tends to be stuck around things about which we’re stressing over day and night. It affects the overall routine of our day and makes us feel as if we’re trapped in a cage.
According to Earth.com, Shinjae Chung, from the University of Pennsylvania, led a study to explore a neural pathway in male mice that stress may influence to cause sleep and memory disturbances.
When stress hits the brain
Stress affects more than just emotional reactions- it also triggers physical changes in the brain.
One major key area that is affected in our brain is the hypothalamus’ paraventricular nucleus (PVN), which helps the body respond to threats by sending signals and releasing hormones.
When the affected area, PVN, detects stress, it can disrupt sleeping patterns and block healthy memory formation, setting off a chain that impacts overall well-being.
Link between stress, sleep and memory
Neuroscientists studied the effects of stimulating the PVN, discovering its connection to the lateral hypothalamus (LH), which regulates hunger and wakefulness.
“Activating CRHPVN neurons impairs memory performance and increases wakefulness, whereas inhibiting CRHPVN neurons during stress improves memory and sleep,” said Chung.
By artificially stimulating neurons in mice, they observed reduced sleep and impaired spatial memory. On the other hand, blocking these neurons during stress improved memory and sleep, suggesting a key link between PVN activity, sleep patterns, and cognitive function.
Stress affects sleep cycle and weakens memory
Stress not only reduces sleep but also impairs memory. When PVN neurons are active, memory deficits occur. This suggests that any disruption around the hypothalamus affects how the brain stores information. Even mild stress can overactive molecular pathways, shifting towards survival and leaving normal processes like memory compromised.
The brain depends on a tight rhythm of sleep-wake cycles and memory consolidation routines, which CRH neurons in the PVN seem to interrupt, re-routing energy towards immediate survival priorities.
This shift disrupts normal rest patterns and blocks efficient memory processing, potentially leading to long-term effects on mental clarity and emotional balance.
Handling stress carefully improves sleeping patterns
By blocking stress-linked neurons, researchers observed calm behavior and slightly improved sleep in mice, as well as enhanced object recognition. One potential approach involves modulating Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone (CRH) signals, which triggers the stress response. They speculated that adjusting CRH activity in the PVN circuit might help restore sleep patterns and preserve memory function.