A study released today shows that the left brain hemisphere is more wakeful than normal when sleeping in a new place for the first time.
The fact that many people sleep poorly during the first night in a new environment – such as a hotel room – is a well-known phenomenon. Now, results from a new study in Current Biology by Brown University researchers could point to why this is the case. We talked to the study’s lead author, Masako Tamaki, to find out why one brain hemisphere keeps watch when we’re away from home, and how travelers can avoid the ‘first night’ effect.
ResearchGate: In your recent study, you found that when people sleep in new environments their left brain hemisphere is more wakeful than normal. How did you reach this result and what was your method?
Masako Tamaki: We were curious about what was going on in people’s brain during the first night when they sleep in a new place. During our study, we realized something odd might be going on when we compared the brain activity from the left and the right hemispheres. We used a sophisticated neuroimaging technique that combines magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and polysomnography, a method that includes recording brain waves, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, as well as eye movements, to investigate the sleeping brain activity. We found that during the first night of sleep, the left hemisphere of the brain slept more lightly than the right hemisphere.
ResearchGate: In your recent study, you found that when people sleep in new environments their left brain hemisphere is more wakeful than normal. How did you reach this result and what was your method?
Masako Tamaki: We were curious about what was going on in people’s brain during the first night when they sleep in a new place. During our study, we realized something odd might be going on when we compared the brain activity from the left and the right hemispheres. We used a sophisticated neuroimaging technique that combines magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and polysomnography, a method that includes recording brain waves, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, as well as eye movements, to investigate the sleeping brain activity. We found that during the first night of sleep, the left hemisphere of the brain slept more lightly than the right hemisphere.
During the first night of sleep, the left hemisphere of the brain slept more lightly than the right hemisphere.
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