Sleep, Learning, and Memory
Thanks to scientific research over the last twenty years, we know that sleep, learning, and memory are inherently linked. Without adequate sleep, our brains have a hard time taking in and recalling information.
Sleeping helps us retain memory, and it refuels our energy reserves for the day. A good night’s sleep resets our brain for a day of intense activity, while a bad night’s sleep makes it hard to function normally.
We all know what it’s like to have a bad night’s sleep - we find it more challenging to concentrate and perform – but sleep also plays a critical role in memory retention, and for this reason, it also impacts learning.
How does sleep improve the ability to learn?
If you struggle to learn new things and seem to forget what you know overnight, it could be because of a lack of high-quality sleep.
When we sleep, the brain region responsible for memory - the hippocampus - comes alive, distributing and storing information.
Scientists believe that our brain crunches and compresses information during sleep stages 2 and 3 (non-REM), storing it efficiently and freeing up memory. This regeneration process frees up memory to replenish our ability to learn new things.
Sleep after learning integrates memories for long-term storage, with the linked study finding that scheduled sleeping helps those with chronic sleep
problems.
How does sleep improve our ability to recall information?
The hippocampus is responsible for storing information, and during sleep, it crunches information to replenish memory storage. But how does this help us recall information?
The neural connections that collect and distribute information are strengthened when we sleep. Neural connections between brain cells carry information, and studies have found they bolster during sleep.
The neural connections that hold irrelevant data - like everything you see but don’t take in - shrink and weaken. Shrinking synapses are well-studied, and scientists agree this process is crucial to making room for new learning.
How does sleep improve long-term memory?
A bad night’s sleep impacts our ability to recall all kinds of information, from what we had for dinner yesterday to a funny moment six months ago.
The impact of sleep on long-term memory in humans is being studied, and one area of interest is a protein called beta-amyloid.
In mice, beta-amyloid deposits increase with sleep deprivation. In humans, beta-amyloid is linked to declines in memory and dementia. Scientists are studying this link to see if humans are at risk of long-term memory issues with poor sleep.
Research suggests that insomnia can lead to reduced memory recollection for that period. People are more likely to have a memory gap during insomnia episodes because the brain can’t store information efficiently.
How does sleep improve the ability to solve problems?
REM sleep (deep sleep) is responsible for refreshing the brain, with scientists recently discovering that the fluid present in the brain and spinal cord — called the cerebrospinal fluid — washes the brain during sleep.
Without this washing process, toxins in the brain aren’t cleared, which creates ‘brain fog’ and feelings of grogginess and slowness, impacting problem-solving.
Sleep deprivation also impacts our ability to recall information, so solutions we ordinarily use to solve problems - like formulas and processes - are more challenging to recall. Again, this impacts our ability to solve problems.
Quick tips to sleep better
Try these tips to improve your sleep for learning and memory:
- Go to bed at the same time every night
- Get up at the same time every day
- Get a mattress that supports your sleeping position
- Turn off your phone an hour before bedtime
- Read a book to take your mind off the day’s events
- Flood your bedroom with relaxing scents like lavender
- Don’t eat sugary snacks two hours before bedtime
- Avoid caffeine at least six hours before you go to bed
- Try a meditation app to relax and slow your breathing.
Happy sleeping!