If you get interrupted sleep,it can affect your memory. This has been suggested by a new research. In contrast, taking a nap may boost a sophisticated kind of memory that helps us see the big picture and get creative.
“Not only do we need to remember to sleep, but most certainly we sleep to remember.”
Scientists increasingly are focusing less on sleep duration and more on the quality of sleep. Particularly important is “slow wave sleep”, a period of very deep sleep that comes earlier than better-known REM sleep, or dreaming time.
Fishbein suspected a more active role for the slow-wave sleep that can emerge even in a power nap. It is possible that our brains keep working during that time to solve problems and come up with new ideas.
The research included 20 English-speaking college students who were given lists of Chinese words spelled with two characters-such as sister, mother, maid. Half the students took a nap, being monitored to be sure they didn’t move from slow-wave sleep into the REM stage.
Upon awakening, they took a multiple-choice test of Chinese words they’d never seen before. The nappers did much better at automatically learning.
Fragmented sleep, whether from aging or apnea can suppress cell birth in the hippocampus, where memory-making starts enough to hinder learning weeks after sleep returns to normal.
Rats with disturbed sleep could only randomly stumble upon an escape hole in a maze that their counterparts detected easily by using room cues.
This website is by a young orthopedist who is exploring ways to enhance mind power and beauty.
Sleep is very much needed, but usually under-rated in terms of its memory enhancement benefits. With no sensory interference during sleep, experts believe that the brain proceeds to organize and revise the day’s information, and works on “storing” it into memory. 7 to 9 hours of sleep is critical for healthy memory.
Thanks for the informative article.
Prashant