Does Sleeping After Learning Something New Help You Remember It?

In a 2003 University of Chicago study, 12 volunteers were asked to listen to words played through a voice synthesiser, and they also saw them printed on a piece of paper. The audio was intentionally difficult to understand.

Later, the volunteers were asked to recall the words based on the distorted audio alone. Many found their ability to remember suffered as the day wore on.

The next day, the volunteers were asked to listen to the words again. After a full night’s sleep, they were able to recall words they had forgotten the day before.

In a paper published in the journal Nature, the scientists concluded that sleep allows the brain to consolidate new memories and even repair memories that have been damaged.

Reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3175088.stm

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Tags: Memory, sleep