The human body is one of the most astounding creations of nature. It is the pinnacle of life’s evolution on planet Earth. Humans are the most advanced species on this rocky planet, capable of marvellous and astonishing feats. Even after all these years, we still struggle to grasp ALL the different aspects of the human body and mind. And, as brilliant minds from leading educational and research institutions put it, the human mind is the final frontier for discovering and understanding the unknown!
The human mind is an abstract manifestation of the electro-chemical processes occurring in our central nervous system. Its amazing capabilities are evident from the myriad things an average human being is capable of as well as the astounding achievements of some of the most brilliant minds on this planet and the progress of the human civilisation from hunter-gatherers to creators of advanced essay typer websites and discoverers of the ancient universe.
But, like every other complex machine, it needs periodic rest. It is common sense as overworking or overusing any machine will cause it to break down, and the same goes for our brain. Sleeping is how we rest our body and mind & proper quantity; sleep quality is critical for health.
How Proper Sleep Helps Our Brain?
The human brain enables us to learn, remember, solve problems, think non-linearly & abstractly, emote, imagine, analyse, formulate, plan, and do many different things. It can imbibe & assimilate massive amounts of information, form associations, identify patterns, and work optimally for long stretches.
Our brain and body repair & regenerate when we are asleep. The connection between sleep, learning and memory is exceptionally complex, and so is the neuro-psychological effect of sleep on the brain. Sleep’s impact on learning and remembering abilities is still not clearly understood. Still, studies on both humans & animals shine light upon the cruciality of good quality & quantity of sleep.
An article from Harvard University reveals that sleep helps our brain’s learning and memorising capabilities in the following ways:
- Proper sleep helps the brain imbibe new information properly.
A sleep-deprived person will struggle to focus properly on any work. The less we deprive ourselves of quality sleep, the more damage we do. Sleep less than the essential amount of six hours for a substantial period of time, and you will find not just find yourself drained and exhausted and unable to assimilate new information, learn new skills or work accurately with precision.
- Secondly, sleep plays a critical role in helping the brain consolidate acquired information, form memories, learn new skills, & imbibe new information.
Lack of sleep and serious sleep deprivation can be major reasons students seek professional essay help or ask professional writers, “Can you do my biology assignment?”
- The exact mechanisms behind such processes and phenomena are unknown. However, psychologists and neurologists describe the learning process using three key functions: acquisition, consolidation, and recall.
The acquisition is the phenomenon of the brain acquiring new information. Lack of proper sleep can make it exceedingly difficult to think clearly & logically and comprehend anything with impunity. Consolidation is the process by which some information or skills gets assimilated and becomes a stable unit in the brain. And recall is the brain’s ability to reminisce, recover, or access some consolidated information, either consciously or subconsciously.
The above three steps are vital for learning and forming new memories. Acquisition and recall occur when we are conscious, but studies show that memory formation and information consolidation occur when unconscious or sleeping.
When we sleep, our brain’s synaptic connections and neural associations form anew and strengthen existing connections. Our body repairs, regenerates and detoxifies when we are fast asleep; naturally, memory consolidation occurs when we sleep. While definitive understanding and consensus have yet to be achieved regarding the exact impact of sleep on the neuro-psychological aspects of our brain, researchers deduce proper sleep allows the formation of certain types of brainwaves that allow the brain to form long-lasting memories.
Let’s take a closer look at how sleep improves the learning faculties of our minds Myscs.
The Impact of Sleep on Learning & Recalling Information
Most of everything we learn, from information to skills, is stored in a particular region of our brain called the hippocampus. Researchers hypothesise that the hippocampus has limited storage capacity; however, sleep replenishes the brain’s ability to learn better.
In an article by the United States of America’s Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute of Health (NIH), the best way to remember something you have recently learned is to sleep on it! Sleeping allows the strengthening of the neural synapses associated with assimilating that information. And it also helps link that new information with existing or old memories.
- Numerous experiments conducted in the 20thcentury by leading research institutions across the globe have reinforced the cruciality of stage 2 and 3 sleep in learning & memory. They have hypothesised that stage 3 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep increases memory retention and recall by 20 & 40 per cent, respectively.
- Scientists working under the auspices of the NIH hypothesise a substantially complex relationship between sleeping and memory. Dr Matthew Walker from the University of California states that sleeping after learning is crucial for imbibing information in the neuro-architecture of the brain. The better the sleep quality, the better one can recall what has been learned.
Dr Walker and his team state how our brain cycles through different stages of sleep, each stage cycling every 90 minutes. During the REM sleep cycle, all the raw and fragile information in our brain consolidates itself.
- Memories become more stable during the deeper stages of sleeping. This is when certain memories/information are strengthened as the brain decides what to keep and what not to keep. The brain links and associates different kinds of information & memories, thereby enhancing our interpretive, analytical, and problem-solving skills of Hanume.
Our sleep patterns change as we grow older. As stress and tension affect our psyche more & more, sleeping cycles get disrupted often. Learning abilities, cognitive skills, and memorising capabilities naturally falter with age.
And that’s all the space we have for this article. Hope it was an informative read for one & all. Work hard, study more, and then remember to sleep for at least 6 to 7 hours every day. Your mental faculties will remain as sharp as a razor blade for years!
All the best.
Author-Bio: Alan Twain is a professor of neurology at one of Australia’s biggest universities in Melbourne, Australia. He is also a part-time writer and tutor with MyAssignmenthelp.com, a leading global academic service provider.