If you can't stop losing your keys or can't remember special dates, a little sleep might help. A recent study she delved deep into the human brain to discover how sleep can improve memory.
The study was the first of its kind because it recorded electrical activity using electrode probes that were implanted in the brain. Although the initial purpose of the electrode probes was to investigate potential therapies and treatments for seizure disorders, the researchers were able to take advantage of the technology and incorporate the data they collected in the study.
Study reveals that sleep plays a role in memory consolidation
Participants included five volunteers who were patients of the University of Chicago Epilepsy Center, which collaborated with neuroscientists from Northwestern University. The researchers wanted to study the electrical activity in the patients' brains and observe how the brain activity changed or responded to the sounds the research team provided as part of a learning exercise. Traditionally, the way the brain processes memory during sleep has been done using EEG recordings that use electrodes attached to the head. This study was the first of its kind to actually look at brain activity within the brain. The remarkable result was that, although the number of participants in the study was quite small, all five showed the same patterns of improvement in memory and electrical activity, indicating that sleep contributes to the ability to remember things a person has learned instead of forgetting.
Sleep facilitates the process of strengthening the neural connections that form memories
The study was conducted overnight in a hospital room. Each patient slept while the research team recorded the brain's electrophysiological responses to specific sound stimuli that were repeated throughout the night. The sounds were played throughout the night, but they were very quiet so that the patients would not wake up or be awakened from their sleep. Of the 10 to 20 sounds, half were associated with specific objects and their specific locations that each patient learned on a laptop before going to sleep. After the patients slept, they showed a significant improvement in their spatial memory. These findings were almost identical to earlier studies using scalp EEG recordings. During testing, patients increased their accuracy in recalling locations on computer screens.
Avoid sleep deprivation to improve your memory
The sounds of objects presented to the patient while he sleeps stimulate an increase in oscillatory activity. These include increased gamma, sigma and theta EEG bands. This electrophysiological activity occurs in the hippocampus as well as in the medial temporal region of the patient's cerebral cortex. Sounds presented to the patient while he slept reflected the strengthening and reactivation of spatial memories that corresponded to the sounds, such as the rattling of keys. Evidence produced by the brain via the electrophysiological response and the gamma response gave researchers a strong link between sleep-based memory storage enhancement and the observation that both brain regions are involved. Although it was traditionally thought that people block out these sounds while they sleep, researchers now understand that these brain structures not only hear sounds, but also respond to them, and these sounds reactivate memories that help retain knowledge while awake.
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If you have problems sleeping, increase the dose of physical activity, eat fruit a few hours before going to bed, do not overeat because you can have nightmares, do not drink liquids after 6 pm because you will wake up to urinate, if you cannot sleep due to continuous thinking, read the Psalms.
Formula for Nerves (you can read more about this formula HERE) can reduce your stress and calm you down so you can fall asleep more easily.
