How does sleep affect memory?
Sleep quality at the heart of your well-being
Resting helps our brains to process and store information, and much more!
We know that after a good night's sleep, the day after is more productive. Sleep is the time your body spends processing the day and recharging for the next. When you are sleep deprived, you are likely to be exhausted for the rest of the day. But sleep deprivation doesn't just manifest itself as physical laziness.
Your brain pays attention to the quality of your sleep. Not getting enough sleep can prevent you from thinking, rationalising and processing your emotions. Studies on sleep quality show that the brain needs sleep to receive new information, to make sense of existing information and to retrieve the information it needs during the day.
The brain functions through three mechanisms: acquisition, consolidation and recall. These processes are essential to the development and functioning of memory. Acquisition and recall only occur during wakefulness, but research suggests that memory consolidation takes place during sleep.
Sleep cycles are important.
Although science has not yet been able to determine how memories are affected by sleep, the correlation between sleep quality and brain function is clear. The hippocampus and neocortex of the brain store long-term memories. Research suggests that during deep sleep, the hippocampus replays the events of the day for the neocortex. The neocortex will then examine and process the memories for long-term retention.
Some studies even suggest that memories are formed during REM sleep. This is the part of the sleep cycle during which we dream.
So, although science has not yet found a link between sleep and memory, we do know that sleep is a biological necessity for brain function. That's why sleep experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night.
The better we sleep, the better our brain works.
So how can we get quality sleep? If we can't control our sleep cycles, there are things we can do to make our sleep more restful. The atmosphere in the bedroom is key, keep it dark and cool. The quality of the sheets is essential. Sleeping on super soft, breathable sheets will allow the body's cells to regenerate. The quality and comfort of your sheets will give you a healthy and restful sleep. With its collection of Bamboo Satin bed linen, Comptoir du Bambou takes care of the quality of your sleep. The sheets are silky, soft and comfortable.
It is clear that maintaining physical activity and regular hydration during the day plays a role in sleep quality.
This will ensure that we give our minds time to process today's information and prepare ourselves to be awake, alert and productive tomorrow.