Sleep is an essential process to remaining healthy. Not only does sleep-loss make us drowsy, but we can suffer memory loss, cognitive decline that can get as bad as dementia, and other physical symptoms that can end with long lasting effects. There is a very good reason we spend roughly 30 percent of our lives asleep.

We all likely know that to get the best night sleep, we should be in our own bed, comfortable with the familiarity and routine. But why does this matter? And, what exactly causes us to sleep less-well when we’re in a new location? Science is finding out, and the answers are a little surprising:

When you check into a hotel room or stay with a friend, is your first night of sleep disturbed? Do you toss and turn, mind strangely alert, unable to shut down in the usual way? If so, you’re in good company. This phenomenon is called the first-night effect, and scientists have known about it for over 50 years. “Even when you look at young and healthy people without chronic sleep problems, 99 percent of the time they show this first-night effect—this weird half-awake, half-asleep state,” says Yuka Sasaki from Brown University.

While they snoozed, team members Masako Tamaki and Ji Won Bang measured their slow-wave activity—a slow and synchronous pulsing of neurons that’s associated with deep sleep. They found that this slow activity was significantly weaker in the left half of the volunteers’ brains, but only on their first night. And the stronger this asymmetry, the longer the volunteers took to fall asleep.

Like dolphins—that sleep with only one half of their brain at a time—we may keep one half of our brain a little more alert when placed in an unfamiliar sleeping situation. Check out the full article for more.

Boost Mental Energy & Focus

Discover how just one glass a day of NeuroActiv6 can increase focus, clarity, and mental energy.

Learn More >>