WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Can't Some People Sleep Without a Fan?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hi brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with another classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from our archives. This one has to do with the

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes tricky subject of sleep and why some people sleep

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<v Speaker 1>way easier with a fan whirring in their bedroom. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>they're brain stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. Chances are you know

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<v Speaker 1>at least a few people who rely on the whirr

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<v Speaker 1>of a fan to get a good night's rest. You

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<v Speaker 1>might be one of them yourself. The effect that a

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<v Speaker 1>fan provides during sleeping is similar to white noise. We

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<v Speaker 1>spoke with Kelsey Allen, a sleep expert with Matros manufacturers

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<v Speaker 1>sleep Train, in an email interview. They said people who

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<v Speaker 1>sleep with a fan are capitalizing on what we call

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<v Speaker 1>white noise. Just like white light, which encompasses all the

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<v Speaker 1>colors on the spectrum, white noise encompasses all sound frequencies

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<v Speaker 1>within typical human hearing. Technically true, white noise is generated

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<v Speaker 1>only electronically, but ambient noises like fans, distant cicadas, or

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<v Speaker 1>gentle rain can produce a similar effect. So what's going

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<v Speaker 1>on in the brains of folks who need fans that

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<v Speaker 1>makes them different from others. The answer likely lies and

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<v Speaker 1>how our brains are wired. Sleep spindles in particular, seem

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<v Speaker 1>to be the key. These are spikes of neural activity

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<v Speaker 1>that can be seen on electro and cephalogram tests A

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<v Speaker 1>K A e G S and present as short brain

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<v Speaker 1>wave bursts that cause a spike or spindle to form

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<v Speaker 1>on the e G. Reading. Research indicates that people who

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<v Speaker 1>experience sleep spindles more often have a better defense against

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<v Speaker 1>outside noise than those who don't experience frequent sleep spindles.

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<v Speaker 1>And spindles don't come and go based on what you

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<v Speaker 1>eat for dinner or whether you're anxious about something happening tomorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>A person sleep spindle production is likely to be static

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<v Speaker 1>across time. How to sleep spindles accomplish this enviable feat

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<v Speaker 1>of blocking noise, These spindles are produced in the portion

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<v Speaker 1>of the brain called the thalamus, which is the area

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<v Speaker 1>that all sound and sensory information must visit before being

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<v Speaker 1>farmed out. Researchers think these spindles, these spikes of neural

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<v Speaker 1>activity actually run into the sounds and block them from

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<v Speaker 1>way king a person up. Since sleep spindles are more

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<v Speaker 1>common during R E M sleep, they're most successful at

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<v Speaker 1>completing this task during such phases. One study out of

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<v Speaker 1>Korea used optogenetics, that's control of both light and gene

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<v Speaker 1>expression to influence sleep spindle production in mice. The scientists

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<v Speaker 1>found that an increase in sleep spindles was correlated with

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<v Speaker 1>an increase in n R E M sleep a k

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<v Speaker 1>A deep sleep. Thus, they concluded that effective modulation of

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<v Speaker 1>sleep spindles could actually hold the key for curing patients

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<v Speaker 1>with sleep issues, though further research is required. No one

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<v Speaker 1>knows for sure why some people have rock star sleep

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<v Speaker 1>spindles while others suffer through the curse of light sleeping.

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<v Speaker 1>But it is often the change in sound rather the

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<v Speaker 1>sound itself that wakes up the brain. And although you

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<v Speaker 1>can get a white noise effect from a sound machine

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<v Speaker 1>or even a m radio static a fan has the

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<v Speaker 1>extra advantage of cooling you down notes. Dr Kevin Gaffney,

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<v Speaker 1>a neurologist and sleep medical director at the Emissioner Neuroscience Center.

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<v Speaker 1>He told us your normal body temperature of point eight

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<v Speaker 1>degrees not nine point six, drops by one to two

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<v Speaker 1>degrees at night. If you have to struggle to lower

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<v Speaker 1>your body temperature, this can decrease your sleep quality. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Alia Hoyt and produced by Tristan

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<v Speaker 1>Neil and Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, is it how stuff works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio or a

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