39 Night Activity 6
Activity #N6: Sleep Process Basics
Sleep is one of the more mysterious human behaviors as there is still much to learn about how the brain and body reacts to sleep. We all have experienced how our body feels on little or no sleep. We feel tired, may suffer from headaches, and can even become sick when sleep is sacrificed. As bad as our bodies may feel, our minds may equally suffer. It is difficult to concentrate when you have had little sleep and as a student you could have trouble staying awake during class!
During sleep your body is relaxed but your mind is active. Many people know about the cycle of sleep stages a person encounters during the night. These stages take your body through light and then deeper sleep. During one stage, called Rapid Eye Movement or REM, your eyes move and your brain is very active; you dream! In this REM stage most interesting perhaps is that your brain is extremely active while your body is in a nearly paralyzed (temporarily) state.
Probably most surprising are the memory benefits that come with the 7-9 recommended hours of quality sleep. Sleep is crucial for learning and memory. This is because during sleep a memory process called consolidation occurs. Consolidation is like a cementing process for memory. While sleeping, your brain strengthens memory and connections between neurons (brain cells). The strengthening makes it more likely that new short-term memories (things you have just learned about in a class) get connected with other neurons so there is a greater change these new memories will become long-term ones. Students who sleep after studying for an exam or learning a new skill are more likely to remember that information. Next time when you consider staying up all night to study and forgo sleep, think about this. Not only will you be able to focus less but you will not get the benefits of memory consolidation during sleep.
You can find out more about the fascinating connections between memory and sleep here:
Summary of sleep and brain benefits:
- SLEEP leads to memory consolidation
- SLEEP improves attention and other cognitive function
- SLEEP improves “next-day” learning tasks
- SLEEP improves/protects overall brain health
