How sleep affects your memory—and grades

by Rachael Grannell, blogger

We are bombarded with information everyday. We get it from our classes, the media, and conversations with our friends. From the minute we wake up, to the seconds before we go to sleep our brain is processing those messages. When you wake up in the morning, you remember only some of that information. You can probably remember what your professor talked about in lecture, the assignments you have due, or maybe some assignments and not others.

So how is it that we can remember certain things while forgetting so many more?

A new study published in the Feb. 2 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience explains that the brain evaluates our memories while we sleep and decides which ones are most important to store in our long-term memory.

The study shows:

• The more sleep we get the better our memory recall (yes, mom was right).
• Our brain stores information that is most relevant to our near future (i.e. information that could be on an exam).

Instead of EEG results, here’s some things we can take away from the study:

• Get in some zzzz. As  sleep-deprived students, many of us cram before tests, but according to this test (and psych 205) it’s better to study and sleep than trying to memorize everything and grabbing a cup of coffee on your way to the exam.

• Prioritize. Since our brain gives special treatment to memories that we need in the near future, we should too. So instead of doing the assignments you want to do first, you should probably work on what you know you need to do for the next day of classes and get a good night sleep. If that good night of sleep isn’t a possibility, it’s probably best to be studying for that exam as the last thing you do before getting that one hour of sleep in.

 

 

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