What Sleep Does With Learning

Written by Studio AM.

After a day of learning, the brain remains active during sleep. Sleep can help fix some new memories, making them more stable for later use. Researchers call this process memory consolidation.

In one kind of study, two groups learn the same material. One group sleeps before the test; the other stays awake for the same number of hours. Researchers compare later recall. Such studies often find a benefit from sleep, although results depend on the task and study design. Time of day and what people do while awake also matter.

Sleep cycles through several stages. Deep non-REM sleep is more common early in the night, while REM periods tend to grow longer later. Both phases are involved in learning and memory. Their roles overlap, so facts cannot simply be assigned to early sleep and skills to late sleep. Losing sleep can also make it harder to pay attention and learn the next day.

A useful study plan leaves enough time for sleep as well as practice. A brief review before bed can fit that plan, but staying up late to complete it may defeat the purpose. Sleep supports learning; it does not replace studying, checking answers, or returning to the material later.

Questions

Choose an answer. The explanation appears after you answer.

  1. Question 1 of 4

    What is the passage mainly about?

  2. Question 2 of 4

    How do the two groups in the study differ?

  3. Question 3 of 4

    Why might staying up late for extra review defeat the purpose?

  4. Question 4 of 4

    What does “fix” mean in the opening paragraph?

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