The Link Between Sleep Spindles and PTSD Relief and Memory Boosting

Sleep spindles, brief bursts of brain activity during sleep, could potentially help regulate anxiety in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study involved 45 participants who had all experienced trauma, with about half having moderate symptoms of PTSD, and half having milder symptoms or no symptoms at all. The research found that spindle frequency was higher during the “stress visit” than the control visit and that stress was a contributing factor in spindle-specific sleep rhythm changes. The study suggests that sleep hygiene, electrical brain stimulation, or prescription sleep medications could promote the sleep spindles associated with non-rapid eye movement 2 (NREM2) sleep and potentially benefit patients with stress and anxiety disorders.