Sleep plays an important role in learning and memory formation by promoting the growth of dendritic spines which connect neurons. A study found that mice who learned a balancing task and then slept showed greater dendritic growth than mice who stayed awake, suggesting sleep helps the brain form connections to support long-term memory. Getting enough quality sleep can enhance learning, manage stress levels, support weight control, and improve decision making abilities.

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Sleep After Learning Can Enhance Your
Memory
(Cognitive Psychology-5)

2. At a Glance:
 Experts have long known that there is an important link between sleep and
learning
 Sleep deprived mice experienced less dendritic growth than well-rested mice
after a learning task
 Deep sleep results in actual physical changes in the brain
 Trying to learn something new? Have a big exam coming up?
 New research suggests that sleep plays a pivotal role in your brain's
ability to learn new information.
 Learn first, then get a good night's sleep in order to encourage
learning and memory retention.
 One of the major explanations for why we sleep is known as the information
consolidation theory, which suggests that one of the primary functions of
sleep is to process information that has been acquired and stored
throughout the day.
 "We've known for a long time that sleep plays an important role in learning
and memory. If you don't sleep well you won't learn well," suggested Wen-
Biao Gan, PhD, professor of neuroscience and physiology

3. How Does Sleep Enhance
Learning?
 Though experts had long known that sleep is critical for learning and
memory, the underlying mechanisms behind this process were not well
understood.
 The study, published in Science, reveals that learning followed by sleep
helps promote the growth of dendritic spines.
 These dentritic spines are tiny protrusions at the ends of neurons that
connect brain cells and facilitate the transmission of information across
synapses.
 "Here we've shown how sleep helps neurons form very specific connections
on dendritic branches that may facilitate long-term memory.
 We also show how different types of learning form synapses on different
branches of the same neurons, suggesting that learning causes very
specific structural changes in the brain," Gan explained in a press
release from the NYU Langone Media Center.

4. Evaluating the Impact of Sleep on
Mice
 To study this process, Gan and colleagues utilized mice that had been
genetically engineered to express fluorescent proteins in neurons.
 The researchers were then able to utilize a laser-scanning microscope to
illuminate and track the growth of proteins in the motor cortex, revealing
the growth of dendritic spines before and after the mice learned how to
balance on a spin rod.
 The scientists first observed that mice would indeed experience dendritic
growth after learning to balance on the spin rods.
 Next, the mice were divided into two groups.
 The first group trained at balancing and then slept for seven hours.
 The second group performed the same training, but stayed awake after for
seven hours.

5. Increased Dendrite Growth In Well-
Rested Mice
 The results revealed that the mice in the sleep-deprivation group
experienced significantly less dentritic growth than those in the sleep group.
 Interestingly, the type of task that was learned also influenced exactly
which dendrites would grow.
 The study offers insight into the importance of sleep and the impact it has on
learning and memory.
 "Now we know that when we learn something new, a neuron will grow new
connections on a specific branch,” Gan suggested. “Imagine a tree that
grows leaves (spines) on one branch but not another branch. When we learn
something new, it’s like we’re sprouting leaves on a specific branch."

6. Top Reasons to Get a Good Night's
Sleep
 According to the National Sleep Foundation's 2008 "Sleep in America" poll,
29% of participants reported becoming very sleepy or even falling asleep at
work in the previous month alone.
 Recent research has linked lack of sleep to a wide range of ailments,
including memory problems and obesity
 Sleep May Help You Learn More Effectively
 Researchers have long believed that sleep plays an important role in
memory, but recent evidence suggests that getting a good night's sleep can
improve learning. In one study, researchers found that depriving students of
sleep after learning a new skill significantly decreased memory of that skill up
to three days later (Winerman, 2006). Known as the memory consolidation
theory of sleep, this notion proposes that sleep serves to process and retain
information learned earlier while awake. While there is research both for and
against the theory, many studies have shown that sleep can play an
important role in certain types of memory.

7. Top Reasons to Get a Good Night's
Sleep
 Research Suggests Sleep Deprivation May Contribute to Obesity
 Lack of sleep has been linked to body weight.
 In one 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,
overweight participants were found to sleep less than participants of a
normal weight (Vorona et al., 2005).
 Brandon Peters, About.com's Guide to Sleep Disorders, reports that poor
sleep at age 30 months can predict obesity at age seven.
 While researchers do not yet understand exactly how sleep disruption
impacts appetite and metabolism, getting a good night's sleep certainly
can't hurt your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts.

8. Top Reasons to Get a Good Night's
Sleep
 Sleep is Important for Managing Stress
 According to many experts, most people need between seven and eight
hours of sleep each night.
 What happens when you don't get enough sleep?
 Symptoms such as moodiness, anxiety, aggression and increased stress
levels can result.
 About.com's Guide to Stress Management, Elizabeth Scott, suggests
taking "power naps" to combat drowsiness, reduce stress and increase
productivity.
 While sleeping more certainly won't eliminate all stress, it can help
increase your readiness to cope with the stress of day-to-day life.

9. Top Reasons to Get a Good Night's
Sleep
 Sleep Can Help You Make Better Decisions
 Have you ever found yourself struggling to make relatively simple decisions
after a night of poor sleep?
 In addition to reducing such things as response time and accuracy, lack of
sleep has also been linked to difficulty making good decisions.
 In one study published in the journal Sleep, researchers found that
sleepiness has a serious impact on the ability to make effective decisions
(Roehrs, 2004).
 Another study suggested that sleep impairs decision-making when
gambling by increasing expectations of potential gains while minimizing
losses.
 If you're facing a challenging decision, make sure that you are well rested
so that you will be at your best.