Sleep is crucial for the brain. There is a constant flow of activity in your brain. Sleep restores your mind, whereas sleep deprivation lowers your resilience to stress. Sleep deprivation impairs memory and learning. You think slower. There's less attention, and you're forgetful. According to a study published in the journal Sleep in January 2021, adequate sleep enhances performance and clarity.
Sleep and the Brain
Brains are fascinating. It is in charge of everything - of your heart, of your lungs, of your feelings, of your thoughts, everything! Your brain also serves as a memory bank, storing and retaining memories. Learning new and useful information is another function of the brain. The brain can only perform those functions properly with a good night's sleep.
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What is the effect of sleep on memory?
A theory of brain plasticity suggests that sleeping allows brain cells (neurons) to reconnect and reorganize, allowing it to grow, change, and retain memories.
The brain grows and changes, too! Let's explore that a bit.
A Mumbai taxi driver's posterior Hippocampus will be larger than a Mumbai bus driver's. During navigation, the Hippocampus is responsible for processing and storing spatial information.
Mumbai taxi drivers must memorise every street, road, and alley in the city since bus routes do not guide them. Their brains made room for retaining this information after adjusting to this knowledge. Each time they navigate the complicated streets of Mumbai, their brain literally grows with the information they absorb.
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When you sleep, what else does your brain do to help your memory?
Sleep allows the brain to cleanse toxic waste accumulated during the day and to reorganize brain connections. Furthermore, it contributes to strengthening the memories we learn during the day, allowing us to make connections between different experiences and extract meaning from them.
When you lack sleep, you are not able to recharge fully, so your energy is spread more thinly.
Insufficient sleep, for example, results in prolonged stress on our bodies. Sleep deprivation often results in issues like memory loss or slower reaction times because our internal resources are not infinite.
How much sleep do you need?
Sleeping the recommended number of hours is essential for optimum brain function. The CDC makes the following recommendations:
Age |
Hours of sleep |
0 – 3 months old |
14 to 17 hours |
4 – 12 months |
12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (with naps) |
1 – 2 years old |
11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (with naps) |
3 – 5 years |
10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (with naps) |
6 – 12 years |
9 to 12 hours |
13 – 18 years |
8 to 10 hours |
18 – 60 years |
7 or more hours |
61 – 64 years |
7 to 9 hours |
65 years and older |
7 to 8 hours |
Memory-improving sleep tips
Check out these expert-approved sleep tips to improve your memory (and your health, in general):
Invest in a quality mattress to help you fall asleep better and faster.
During the day, you can boost your productivity by taking power naps of between 30 minutes and an hour.
The use of gadgets stimulates the brain instead of slowing it down, so turn them off and remove them from your bedroom. Insomnia and sleep disruptions can also result from gadgets if placed in the bedroom.
Be sure to cut back on caffeine at least 3-4 hours before bedtime.
To fall asleep at night, follow a daily routine it will help you wind down your biological clock every night around the same time.
To wrap this up
Sleep allows your brain to process memories and information efficiently. To conclude, it's safe to say that a good eight hours of zzz’s a night will make you healthier, smarter, and more productive.
