Why is Sleep Important?
Sleep, learning, and memory are three complex phenomena that are hard to understand completely. What is understood is that sleep has a powerful effect on both learning and memory. Research suggests that sleep can impact both in two distinct ways. Firstly, a lack of sleep will leave you tired and unable to focus optimally and therefore unable to learn efficiently. Secondly, sleep itself plays a part in the consolidation of memories – that is, the strengthening of neural connections in our brain that in turn strengthen our memories. Without adequate sleep, we’re not able to concentrate or recall information to our full potential.
Sleep plays a vital role when it comes to not only forming new memories and remembering them, but thinking creatively as well. In one study, researchers in California gave volunteers a number of problems to solve in the morning and asked them to spend the afternoon thinking of the problem before being tested at 5 pm. Half of the group was asked to stay awake while the other was encouraged to nap. All the nappers were monitored, and researchers found that the performance of those that slipped into REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the state during which dreams occur, was enhanced by nearly 40% compared with the other volunteers. This showed that REM sleep not only boosted attention and alertness but allowed the participants to work more creatively on the problem presented after sleep.
What Does a Lack of Sleep Do To My Body?
We know that sleep is important for learning and memory, but that doesn’t change the fact that more than a third of adults in America are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep – seven to nine hours for an average adult – every night. The reasons for this vary – stress, social and family commitments, as well as the fact that work is being taken home at an increasing rate, mean people are getting less sleep, and paying for it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep is a public health problem linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters as well as other on-site work accidents. Not only that, but it’s also been linked to an increased likelihood of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and depression.
How to Achieve Better Sleep
Changing your habits is hard, but it’s necessary if you’re going to achieve not only the right quantity of sleep but also the appropriatequality of sleep. Firstly this means sticking to a strict regimen of sleeping and waking at the same time every day (even on weekends). Next, your sleeping environment should be a place exclusively reserved for sleep and sex – televisions, laptops and other devices should be used elsewhere so your brain links your bedroom with sleep only. Lastly, you have to tailor your bedroom to be conducive to good sleep; ensure the temperature isn’t too hot or too cold, the room is dark and quiet, and that you invest in areliable and trusted mattress that supports your body while you sleep,like this one from Eve Sleep. This will reduce the amount you toss and turn during the night and will help you to wake up feeling rested and refreshed.
The Take Away
Of course, these tips don’t apply universally to everyone. People all live differently and not everyone can apply this regimen to their daily lives, especially those who work erratic shifts. However, the link between sleep, learning and memory is clear, and if you’d like to improve on all three then the starting point to achieving this is improving the duration and quality of your sleep.