Sound sleep benefits memory
Mild sleep disturbance that induces shallow sleep, but does not reduce total sleep time, interferes with learning and memory.
Mild sleep disturbance that induces shallow sleep, but does not reduce total sleep time, interferes with learning and memory.
People who sleep poorly often report memory problems, and research in the past has shown that missing one night's sleep reduces activation in an area of the brain called the hippocampus, which is involved in short-term learning.
To see whether minor disturbances during sleep could affect memory, researchers from America studied 13 healthy subjects, average age 60 years, whose memory was tested following a night of undisturbed sleep and again following a night of shallow sleep. Shallow sleep is caused by factors as sleep apnoea, obesity, stress, environmental noise, too much ambient light or an uncomfortable bed. The researchers used a mild, repetitive beeping sound to induce shallow sleep. Otherwise, sleep duration, efficiency, number of stage transitions and staging remained intact during the intervention.
On the day before, the participants viewed 50 images of houses and landscapes. During the test, they viewed 100 images and were asked to identify the original 50, while functional
MRI scans were being recorded. Functional MRI is a type of MRI that detects the changes in red blood cells and capillaries as they deliver oxygen to functioning parts of the brain.
Memory scores were found to be significantly lower following the night of shallow sleep, and functional MRI showed less blood flow in the front part of the right hippocampus.
The above findings suggest that deep and sound sleep before a learning period benefits memory.
Some simple steps to ensure sound sleep include avoiding caffeine after noon, avoiding strenuous work, stress or worrying in the last few hours before sleep, getting enough daylight, and making sure that the bedroom is for sleeping and not for watching television or working.
Nature Neuroscience
January 2009
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