In a recent study presented this summer, researchers demonstrated that cooling the brain was an effective treatment for sleep disorders and insomnia.
They equiped insomniacs with a "cooling cap", which essentially used circulating water to cool the prefrontal cortex (front part of the brain located just behind the forehead), to help their brain relax before going to sleep. The results turned out to be positive as in more than 75% of the cases the patients did fall asleep and stayed asleep.
This finding has treatment implication for anxiety disorders, because in anxiety as in insomnia the prefrontal cortex is hyperactive.Therefore a treatment approach that would help slow down activity in that brain region could potentially reduce anxiety. More research is needed to test this hypothesis, but in the meantime it would not hurt to put an ice cap or a cool washcloth on your forehead if you are suffering from anxiety and are having difficulty sleeping. Who knows, you might be in for a pleasant surprise!
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