The following content is created in consultation with Mancini's Sleepworld. It does not reflect the work or opinions of NBC Bay Area's editorial staff. To learn more about Mancini's Sleepworld, visit Sleepworld.com.
When time is limited, it can be tempting to sacrifice sleep in favor of cramming information whether you’re a new employee learning the ropes, a student prepping for an exam, or just a curious human being reading a good book. But according to science (and our wise school teachers), restful sleep is paramount to the next day’s performance. We form memories during the hours we spend sleeping, allowing the things we’ve seen and learned to sink into our consciousness.
And just like a lack of sleep can exacerbate health problems like hypertension and obesity, it can also adversely affect your memory, namely the ability to absorb crucial information.
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Suddenly, what seemed like an easily recallable fact at 2 a.m. has disappeared by 9 a.m. despite pulling an all-nighter. That’s because sleep is a crucial step in solidifying and retaining the information absorbed by the brain.
Thanks to the fascinating science of the brain’s inner workings, we know that humans make memories in a series of three interrelated steps:
- Encoding
Processing what we see, learn or are taught - Consolidation
Stabilizing said information and experiences in our brain - Recalling
Accessing what we learned in the future
However, research shows that there is one distinct difference between these three functions. While Encoding and Recalling both take place during waking hours, Consolidation — the vital step that ties our whole memory-making process together — happens when we are sleeping.
The jury is still out as to how, exactly, sleep creates the necessary environment for our brain to absorb what we’ve learned, but scientists believe it involves the interplay between the brain’s hippocampus and neocortex, both areas that store long-term memories. According to research, the hippocampus replays that we’ve seen and learned to the neocortex while we sleep, allowing the latter to process everything as memories.
Whatever the science, it's clear that a good night’s sleep is crucial to our ability to form memories, allowing us to be sharp the following day, from work meetings to coaching our kids’ soccer team to reminiscing with the family.
Maximize your rest by getting a great deal on a new mattress from Mancini’s Sleepworld, where their experts will guide you through their wide selection of offerings. To learn more, visit Mancini's Sleepworld or call (800) 647-5337.
