The Impact of Sleep on Learning and Memory on Students

Each of us has stayed up late at night to study only for exams right?

But did you know?

There are students who actually stay up most days to study!

According to reports by Medical News Today, about 35% of students stay up past 3 a.m. more than once a week.

You should be aware of how it affects your grades.

There were some MIT professors in 2019 who found a connection between sleep and grades.

Why is sleep important for your test scores?

We all need sleep to give our minds and bodies rest. Most of us think only of our physical needs and fail to understand the works of the brain.

Even while we sleep, some parts remain active. The other parts restore energy.

Mental wellness is necessary for life; it will happen only when you take care of it.

Staying up late at night to study will not help you gain scores. Over the years, scientists have discovered that sleep impacts your ability to think, learn, recall, memorize, etc. Sleep can improve your mental health and help you get better grades.

How does sleep impact your memory?

Sleep has a role in memory consolidation. Did you know your brain has a region where it stores information called the hippocampus? But, like any other storage unit, there’s a limited capacity. Thus, sleep is required to help replenish your learning ability and refresh your memory.

How does sleep improve your learning process?

We all feel energized, positive, and happy after a good night’s sleep giving better performance.

As students, it also helps improve your concentration and academic results.

That’s because it’s a proven fact by many doctors who state that sleep helps prepare your brain for upcoming information.

Then, it helps save and cement that information; you are less likely to forget it from your memory.

Fact: Your brain’s memory capacity is around 2.5 million GBS of digital memory.

Does sleep decrease with age?

Yes, your sleep pattern will change with age. So, now that you are young, get sleep and give that brain a rest!

According to the National Library of Medicine’s Biotech Information, there are slow waves created in a brain area called the “Medical Prefrontal Cortex.”

With age, they slow down and impact the sleep pattern and memories.

Now that you understand the importance of sleep on why you should not stay up late, let’s take a look at good habits to follow for a night’s sleep: