Learn in your sleep!
Sleep and memory
Sleep and dreaming have been shown to be important for transferring information into our long-term memory. Studies found that dreaming about learning experiences leads to improved memory retention of this content.
Thus, dreaming is thought to reflect the process of memory activation and consolidation during sleep, which suggests it plays a key role in learning.
What does this mean for me?
Getting a good night’s sleep seems like the most effective way to make sure we retain the information we learn. Try learning/reading before bed and see if you dream about it…
Are you someone who enjoys daytime naps? Try taking a nap after learning/studying and this can better help you to remember the learned information.
Waking rest and memory
Recent studies also show that brief periods of rest after learning facilitate the consolidation of new memories. This means that, in our daily lives, moments of unoccupied rest (basically; doing nothing) may serve an essential cognitive function.
How often do we take a ‘break’ from working only to open some social media app and fill our heads with even more information? It would be far more beneficial for us to take a real break and give our brains space to work…
What does this mean for me?
We retain information better when we give our brain space and time to process it. Instead of studying for 2 hours straight, study for 30 minutes then take a break to let the information sink in.
Limiting your social media use can improve your learning by giving your brain more space to consolidate memories. When you take a break from learning, why spend this time cramming your brain with the opinions of other people?