It is an effect that we have all experienced: when we spend a night away from home , our usual sleeping environment – for example, when we go on vacation – we tend to stay awake. An experiment directed by Masako Tamaki, a psychologist at Brown University (USA), tries to clarify some of the factors that cause this difficulty in sleeping . And his conclusion is that apparently one of our cerebral hemispheres remains awake when we try to fall asleep outside of our usual environment.
In that way, what happens is that we maintain a much less deep sleep. Noises, tactile sensations, and strange smells prevent alertness from relaxing , as do other animal species. A phenomenon that could be seen in this research using neurological techniques: the physiological patterns of the two parts of the brain were different.
There are several solutions to this difficulty falling asleep . The researchers point out that people who continuously sleep in different places for work reasons adapt and end up making each room their own. Another strategy available is that used by young children, who carry personal items – dolls, pillows, etc. – with them to make the unfamiliar bedroom more friendly .
In any case, the study, which used polysomnography and neuroimaging techniques, located the effect only in the first phase of sleep . That is to say: the usual thing is that we have difficulty falling asleep, but then the rest pattern will be normal . Also, that will happen the first night; In the following, we will get used to it and that will allow us to make any place a home.
