A study conducted by the University of Cambridge reveals thatto sleepadequatelyat night allows the brainstore and remember new wordslearned during the day.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers worked with 57 adult volunteers who were asked to learn dozens of fictitious words. Tests to assess their learning revealed thatremembered more vocabulary the next day, after they had slept, than when asked a few hours after being taught the terms. The effect was much stronger in the words that were learned just before sleeping.
As explained by Matt Davis, study director and researcher at theMedical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, the explanation for this phenomenon is found in the functioning of our brain. Whereas during initial learning only thehippocampus, which plays a role in the formation of new memory, when we sleep that knowledge is transferred to theneocórtex, responsible for conscious thought and language.
As a result of the study, Davis and his colleagues conclude thatreading bedtime stories to children may unconsciously improve their vocabulary. As for the students, they recommendreview your exams at nightfalland then sleep soundly to better remember what you learned. Adults can also take advantage of this phenomenon by listening to theradio (or podcasts) before falling into a deep sleep.
