How is Sleep Related to Memory?

Source: The Indian Express

Lack of sleep is considered a hallmark of hard work and an essential ingredient for achieving success. As a society we have developed an extremely high tolerance for sleep deprivation blissfully ignoring this being a critical component of our well-being.

Sleep embodies our mental and physical recovery period leading to a productive, energetic and happy work day. The students who consistently had a good night’s sleep and refrained from pulling an all-night out before exams scored far better than those who had erratic sleep habits.

Memory formation and learning is primarily a three-step process, with information acquisition, consolidation, recall and application as needed. While gaining, use and retrieval of information happens when you are awake, amalgamation of knowledge, strengthening and integrating the new understanding with the preexisting data primarily happens when a person is asleep.

So when someone has a good night’s sleep, they are getting ready to realize their potential. It is imperative to promote healthy sleep habits. It is essential to treat sleep as a physical and mental health issue and promote a vigorous sleep culture. 

The task is difficult in the era of gadget addiction but essential if you do not want to add unproductive, perennially tired and exhaustive people to the workforce.
 

Also read: Essentials to Meaningful Play for Kids