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| Ebb - Device pumps liquid coolant to the forehead to
help chill part of the brain that plays a role in deep sleep Image credit: ebbsleep.com |
A headband that cools the brain could mean a
better night’s sleep for people with insomnia. Worn at night, the device pumps
a liquid coolant around the front of the scalp and forehead. The idea is it
chills the frontal cortex, a part of the brain thought to play a role in deep
sleep.
Research has shown that this area is more active
in insomniacs — and so, in theory, cooling the forehead above this area will
reduce the overactivity and help patients sleep better. A recent study in 106 patients showed it was safe
and effective in reducing insomnia, and the device was recently approved for
use by the U.S. medicines regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.
Insomnia, which is defined as difficulty getting
to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning,
affects one in three people. In most cases the cause is stress and anxiety,
but it can also be due to existing illness or a side-effect of prescription
medication.
Treatment can involve lifestyle changes such as
adopting ‘good sleep hygiene’, but in many cases patients are subsequently
prescribed sleeping pills or drugs such as benzodiazepines, which act as tranquillizers,
to help them. Yet these don’t always work and can have serious
side-effects, including memory problems, and lead to dependence.
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| Ebb - headband showing piping into which liquid coolant is pumped Image credit:
ebbsleep.com |
The new device, named Ebb, includes a soft fabric
headband through which a cooling fluid is circulated. It is connected to a
bedside temperature controller that cools and pumps fluid to the headband,
which is worn at night.
Previous research has found that cooling the
brain — so-called cerebral hypothermia — reduces activity. One theory is that
insomnia is not only related to levels of sleepiness, but to high levels of
activity or arousal in certain areas of the brain.
Research has shown that there is a reduction in
activity in the brain’s frontal cortex when we fall asleep normally, and this
is associated with restorative deep sleep. But in people with insomnia, studies
using brain scans have shown increased activity in the frontal cortex.
Early research by the developers of the new
headband at the University of Pittsburgh in the U.S. revealed cooling this area
helped insomniacs sleep just as well as those who don’t suffer from insomnia.
In a study presented at the Academy of Sleep
Medicine’s annual conference, insomniacs slept 89 per cent of the time they
were in bed when using the cooling headband — and nodded off three minutes
earlier than those who had no trouble sleeping.
According to a new study in the journal Sleep,
the device, which maintains a temperature of 14c to 16c, is effective for
reducing insomnia. The study involved 106 patients at seven centres in the U.S.
who had two nights of therapy, with the device being compared with a placebo.
Dr Guy Leschziner, a consultant neurologist at
King’s College London, said: ‘We know that sensory stimulation around the neck
and head can result in changes in brain activity in a variety of disorders, and
this novel technique may be helpful. The preliminary data suggests a small
improvement, but how it translates into treatment remains to be seen.’
Meanwhile, a daily chamomile capsule can help insomnia, according to researchers at Kashan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, writing in the journal Complementary Therapy Medicine. Research based on 60 people found those who took capsules containing chamomile extract twice a day for 28 days had significantly improved sleep quality compared with those taking a placebo. One theory is chamomile acts as a mild tranquillizer.
Originally published on DAILY MAIL UK
Originally published on DAILY MAIL UK
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