This diagram shows which parts of the brain are responsible for different types of memory storage.
Contrary to what most people believe, sleeping helps you remember things better. While you are asleep, your brain essentially "ranks" memories in order of importance and readies itself for the next day. An experiment was conducted at the University of Tubingen to test if sleep really did effect how well you remember something.
191 adults were told to memorize word-pairs: a general memory test. The group was divided into four parts. First, half of the adults were told they would be tested on those word pairs in nine hours, while the other half was told they would be tested on a different subject. Within the portion of the adults who were told they would be tested on the word pairs, some of them were told they could sleep and would be woken up to take the test. The rest of the adults in that group were to remain awake. Similarly, from the group which was told they would be tested on a different matter, some were allowed to sleep while the others were to remain awake.
After 9 hours, all four groups were tested on the word-pairs. The adults who were told they were to be tested on word-pair and who had gotten sleep did the best out of all four of the groups; "they recalled 12 percent more word pairs than those sleepers who had no expectation of being tested again on the same information," said researchers. It was also noted they had more "slow-wave" sleep, or deep sleep, which is linked to memory consolidation, as well. The adults who were told they would be tested on a different matter and did not sleep did the worst out of all four of the groups.
According to Born, one of the researchers, ""There is an active memory process during sleep that selects certain memories and puts them in long-term storage." Basically, when you sleep, your brain orders its memories in terms of importance and places the most important ones in long-term storage so you remember them longer. Without sleep, your brain does not do this; so sleeping helps you remember "important" things longer.
I found this interesting, because generally right before a test, people "cram" and don't get enough sleep. This article supports the idea that cramming and not getting sleep is not an effective idea, as everything you try to remember remains in short-term memory instead of long-term memory. Sleep is important to order your memories and remember them for long periods of time. Also, studies have shown connections between sleep deprivation and short-term memory loss; without sleep, it is harder to remember things. Although most people don't believe so at first, sleep is essential to remember things--especially before a test.
Sources
- "Brains 'rank' memories as we sleep." Science Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE40&SID=5&iPin=UPI-1-20110201-201041-bc-germanysleepmemories&SingleRecord=True>.
- http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/graphics/1038.gif
6 comments:
Your post has a good thought flow, and is well written as well :)
The experiment conducted was very interesting. You did a good job in describing it; it was easy to follow.
I think additional elaboration on how exactly the brain ranks memories during the night would benefit the post, like a description of the process it undergoes in order to do this.
What you talk about in your discussion is very true, I think. Maybe you could expand a little bit more there, however.
Overall, great job Archana! :)
This article you chose is very interesting and provides information that can impact us on a daily basis.
I liked how you introduced the different groups and the different variables introduced in the experiment. Additionally, your application of this article to real life is very coherent.
The section on the different groups of the experiment was very long. More space should be allocated to the science behind sleeping.
Overall, the blog was very interesting and easy to understand.
Awesome blog! I always remember stuff better if I "sleep on it" and you did a good job of helping me undertand why. I liked your use of quotes, they added specific facts to the more general idea, which was a nice touch. Also, the way you described the brain's ordering of memories as ranking made it easy for the reader to understand what you were getting at. Overall, the article was fun to read and very informative.
Thanks for the comments & advice!
Well, I looked up what happens in your brain in terms of memories when you sleep, I found that:
1. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls speed and accuracy. When you sleep, it essentially becomes more active, so your ability to memorize & remember things is accelerated.
2. MRI scans showed that brain regions "shift dramatically during sleep," signifying that the memories are shifted from short term to long term storage.
3. "Memory consolidation" is sped up during sleep; basically, memory consolidation is when brain cells or other regions of your brain form connections that strengthen over time which help new memories "stick" in your brain.
So a lot of brain developments happen when you sleep, which is why children and teenagers need more sleep than adults and why infants sleep so often (because they're learning so many things).
Your writing is effective, and your explanation of the experiment was understandable. The discussion was also good, and you expanded on the idea of the original article. Good job (:
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