The ever tightening link between sleep, learning, and memory

Sleep is pretty much the magic potion for everything. It makes so much better. It’s also one of the ‘big five’ (along with hydration, diet, exercise an lifestyle factors) that shows up in the ‘how to ease the symptoms of …..’ pages all the time.

I enjoyed this article on the importance of sleep. As a teacher, I see students come to school every day barley able to keep their eyes open. The point about information being able to be recalled after sleep is definitely an interesting concept to consider as a teacher. Sleep or lack of it also plays a role in how much students are able to pay attention during the day. The most interesting thing I took away from this article is the potential link between lack of sleep and alzheimers.

What a great article. Today many adults and even children are experiencing wakefulness. I believe technology has contributed to this phenomena. Sleep Deprivation impairs attention and working memory, but it also affects other functions, such as long-term memory and decision-making. I wonder how this phenomenon will impact the cognitive development of children. Though the research is about the brain is still in its infancy it is clear that sleep plays a vital role in the cognition and overall functioning of the brain.

I really enjoyed reading through your blog post about sleep and how it can affect learning and memory. I can attest to some of the same results that were found from the studies. I, too, struggle to recall information if I had trouble sleeping the night before. In fact, I struggle to do many things when I’m working off of little sleep. I have trouble focusing, staying on task, and working efficiently. A lack of sleep usually leads to me making more mistakes and low quality in my performance. I found it interesting that there were connections between sleep and Alzheimers. I did not know that sleeping helps to “wash away” toxic proteins. I can understand how these toxic proteins would have a negative impact on your brain. It is obvious that even just one night without sleep slows your capabilities. I can imagine that many nights without sleep could have a lasting impact on your body. Sufficient sleep could really help students perform better in the classroom. I often tell my students that they need to be getting a full night’s rest. It is easy to recognize students that slept a full 8 hours compared to students that might have only had 3-4 hours of sleep. Students that get a full night of sleep normally perform better in class. This may be something I need to highlight with my students again! Thank you for the post.