Sleep Shorts: The Language of Sleep

“You are getting very sleepy.” Add a swinging chain watch and a magician, and you’ll be out in seconds.

A new study conducted at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology shows that the words involved in coaxing your brain to sleep may be more important than the magic.

Study participants, who were exposed to sleep-related words such as “cozy” and “relax” for five minutes before napping, snoozed 47% longer than those who didn’t see the language.

Their heart rates also dropped significantly – a sign of deeper rest, the study authors say.

According to study co-author Dr. Mitsuru Shimizu, reading relaxing words activates goal-oriented mental processes in your brain that help control how tired or wired you feel.

[Article Source: Sleep Savvy Magazine January/February 2014]

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