When sleeping in an unfamiliar environment, half of your brain doesn’t really sleep. Instead, that hemisphere stays awake to “guard” against potential threats. In a new study, researchers from Brown University monitored the brain activity of 35 people in a sleep lab over the course of two nights. The first night sleeping in the new location, the left hemisphere of those participants who slept poorly remained more “awake” and continued to react to sound. On the second night, both hemispheres of the brain reacted to their surrounding normally. The study authors suggest individuals may be able to counter this effect by bringing their own pillow or staying in hotels with similar accommodations. They also note it may be possible for frequent travellers to learn to “turn off” this nighttime surveillance.

Authors:

Masako Tamaki, Ji Won Bang, Takeo Watanabe, Yuka Sasaki

Corresponding author:

Yuka Sasaki, Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University

Original paper published on April 21, 2016 in Current Biology.

Related press release from Brown University.