Sleep and Memory: Effect of Sleep on Learning

SLEEP AND MEMORY
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SLEEP AND MEMORY
Introduction
Sleep and memory are trending phenomena that continue to raise concerns in psychology as many people have not entirely understood them. However, according to Spencer et al. (2017), quantity and quality of sleep significantly affect learning and memory. Spencer et al. say that learning before sleep is more beneficial in helping students achieve better performance. Sleep help learners in formulating accurate memories of what they have studied before bedtime as their brain works well when asleep compared to when they are awake. Sleep plays a crucial role in consolidating our memories of what we learned before sleep and preparing the brain for learning new information. Besides, a sleep-deprived person never focuses attention optimally and may not learn efficiently. The research highlights the relationship between sleep and memory and shows how it is significantly important in better retention. Besides, the research will also highlight the sleep stages and the methods of enhancing memory. The paper discusses the effects of sleep deprivation and the need to educate learners the need of attaining quality sleep.
Memory is a distinct function of the human brain that intrigues many researchers and has been a subject of scientific study for quite some time. As a result, most researchers wants to understand how human memory works. Additionally, the researchers have also tried to explain how sleep aid memory and learning. Further, they have also assisted individuasls especially learners to understand how sleep induces memory recall. According to Monaghan et al. (2015), the scientists have not understood the exact mechanisms that associate learning, sleep, and memory.
The acquisition is the first function of the human brain. It refers to the inauguration of current information into the human brain (Monaghan et al., 2015). Secondly, consolidation is the process by which human memory becomes stable. On the other hand, recall is the brain's potential to access information after being previously stored. All of these three functions are elemental towards integrating proper memory function. Acquisition and recall happen when people are awake. On the contrary, memory consolidation occurs when asleep, leading to the strengthening of neural connections that help develop our memories. Even though many researchers fail to find consensus on how sleep helps in memory consolidation, this research will uncover how distinct characteristics of brainwaves develop and how particular types of memory develops during sleep.
Thye emphirical research by Spencer et al., Monaghan et al., and Zárate & Enge show how students forget fewer answers when they have their studies in the evening before retiring to bed compared to when they learn the same facts in the morning. Students carrying out studies before bedtime have a high potential for better performance than those studying in the morning. According to Zárate & Enge (2013) sleeping temporarily leads to temporary reactivation of memories that help consolidate previous memories for easy retrieval of facts. The three primary articles confirm the idea that sleeping immediately after learning something new is more significant to our memory. In the same way, this is what Monaghan et al. say about rehearsing and remembering all important information before sleeping is the same concept as studying before bedtime. Generally, this helps the sleeping brain consolidate the ideas or new information learners have learned, leading to easy recall when awake.
Memory is enhanced when an individual is asleep because the hippocampus takes over all the memory formation activity in the human brain (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015). Hippocampus is an influential brain area that facilitates the relay of facts in short to long term. Scullin & Bliwise (2015) show that it is more beneficial for students to sleep after learning during exams because it aids them in a long-term recall. According to this notion, sleeping helps strengthen what they learned during the study session (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015). Students who take a nap after learning have a higher chance of performing better than those who spend sleepless. However, Jones et al. state that sleeping should occur shortly after a study because prolonged periods could interrupt memory development during sleeping sessions (Jones et al., 2018). Therefore, students who sleep constantly enhance their memory. This is because continuous sleep eradicates the influence of any activity existing between learning and sleeping. Many researchers prove this to be effective despite the time the student sleeps. Schreiner & Rasch (2017) support the idea of students sleeping after reading without considering the time. Such practices enhance their ability to recall knowledge, which leads to better performance in exams. Siegel (2021) notes that lack of ample sleep has adverse effects on memory formation. Learners who have limited sleep, especially at night, have increased chances of performing poorly in academics than those who sleep well after learning.
However, it is important to understand sleep stages and methods of enhancind various types of memory. Different types of memories have a close connection to developing new learning situations. Many scientists explore the relationship between the consolidation of various types of memories with varying stages of sleep. Declarative memory is the first in line because it focuses on knowledge-related information from the earliest sleep and memory research (Zárate & Enge, 2013). In this research, individuals have a rapid-eye-movement during sleep, and researchers associate this as a dreaming stage that occurs most frequently. Declarative me...