It is generally considered accepted knowledge that sleep is essential for the healthy functioning of the brain. Uppsala University reported, that losing just a half a night of sleep results in memories becoming less accessible during stressful situations. Sleep is vital for the facilitation of long-term memory in humans.
Researchers from Uppsala University have shown in a new study that sleep is not only vital for the formation of long-term memory but sleep also ensures access to long-term memory during times of cognitive stress. When a person is sleeping newly learned information is transferred from short-term to long-term memory stores in people. Sleep researchers Jonathan Cedernaes and Christian Benedict have investigated the role of nocturnal sleep duration for this transfer of memory. They have also explored how long-term memories formed by sleep remain accessible after experiencing acute cognitive stress.
The researchers found that even though losing half a night of sleep may not undermine memory functions under normal baseline conditions, when there is also acute cognitive stress there may be significant impairments which can harm situations in real life. Cedernaes says interventions such as delaying beginning times for school and more flexible work schedules which increase available time for sleep for people who are constantly not getting enough sleep may result in improved academic and occupational performance by improving access to memories when confronted with stressful conditions.
This research has been published in the journal Sleep. The researchers had a goal of investigating the role of nocturnal sleep duration for the retrieval of memories. The research findings have suggested that 8 hour sleep duration which is within the range recommended by the US National Sleep Foundation may help consolidate memories during periods without and with subjective stress. The bottom line is sleep certainly is vitally important for a good functioning brain.
