Ayahuasca ingestion alone significantly decreased sexual performance in male rats at all tested doses. However, when combined with 96 hours of paradoxical sleep deprivation, a low dose of Ayahuasca increased sexual performance, while an intermediate dose impaired it compared to non-sleep-deprived rats at the same dose. Testosterone concentrations were lower in sleep-deprived rats given saline compared to controls. Progesterone was significantly lower only in sleep-deprived rats receiving the 500 μg/mL dose compared to controls at that dose. Corticosterone levels did not differ across groups. The findings indicate that Ayahuasca's effects on male sexual response are markedly altered by sleep deprivation.
Mindfulness-based interventions can reduce anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, but their effect on sleep is not well established. Sleep can be measured subjectively (questionnaires, logs) or objectively (actigraphy, polysomnography). A review of 193 articles found that most studies (78%) used only subjective sleep measures, which show higher variability and uncertainty and moderate to nonexistent agreement with objective measures. This reliance on subjective assessment may create a misperception about mindfulness effects on sleep. Future research should emphasize objective measurements while acknowledging that subjective measures remain useful for some aspects of the sleep-mindfulness relationship.