What is the link between sleep and learning?
To put it roughly, when we sleep we memorize better. Nerve cells activated during learning reactivate during sleep. Memory plays a role in “encoding”, that is, it prepares the brain to learn, to acquire new information. He also actively participates in the consolidation and restitution of this learning to make stable and lasting memories.
How does sleep serve our memory?
Each stage of sleep plays a specific role in memory. “During light then deep sleep which follows falling asleep it is the declarative memory, made up of our memories and our knowledge, which is consolidated. During REM sleep, later, it will be the procedural memory, that of our skills motor and perceptual “, specifies Robert Jaffard neurobiologist and member of the scientific council of the Observatoire B2V des Mémoires.
It is no coincidence that we say that “the night brings advice”. Eight hours of sleep provide the solution to a problem, refine topographic knowledge and improve our ability to plan in particular.
In short, during our sleep our brain does not really sleep?
Better, performance can improve during sleep as if the brain were continuing a training session, in the same way that an athlete takes advantage of muscle recovery to better surpass himself afterwards. The more complex the task, the greater the gain in performance thanks to a period of rest.
Since when are the benefits of sleep on memory known?
The first experiment to evaluate the effects of sleep on memory dates back to 1924. Two American psychologists John Jenkins and Karl Dallenbach ask students to learn meaningless syllables just before sleeping or in the morning when waking up. Then they are asked about the learned syllables.
In the end, the participants forgot the syllables much less when they slept between learning and testing. It is the first study to have established the role of sleep in reducing forgetfulness. This conclusion will subsequently be corroborated by numerous behavioral studies. eSleep protects the brain from outside interference. It processes the information received during the day away from parasites, explains Robert Jaffard.
Does lack of sleep or poor quality sleep affect memory?
If we sleep poorly or not enough due toSleep Apnea, stress, noise for example, sleep will fail to prepare the brain to memorize. The ability to learn will be reduced.
Can a nap compensate for this lack of sleep?
Acquisition skills deteriorate naturally, even in a young person, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is why a Siesta, sufficiently rich in deep sleep is recommended
during the afternoon. It helps restore optimal learning abilities in the evening.
Does sleep change with aging?
The stages of sleep and memory change throughout life. Aging causes a moderate decline in the memory of recent events. It also affects the duration and quality of deep sleep. If we sleep less with age, it would be linked to atrophy of a small region of the brain, the scientists suggested.
These sleep disorders disrupt the process of consolidation of declarative memory, that of memories. Poor sleep can also lead to severe memory impairment, symptomatic of brain degenerations such as those associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Thanks to Robert Jaffard, Professor emeritus at the University of Bordeaux 1, researcher at the CNRS, neurobiologist, specialized in the study of memory, member of the scientific council of theB2V Observatory of Memories, the B2V observatory of memories.
>> To read also:Why we should all be able to take a nap