Researchers have found that sleeping well can help a person retain and boost memory.
This study was published in the journal Science.
Prior to this study, researchers have found that there is a relation between sleeping well and enhancing memory, according to Tech Times. They also found that if a person does not sleep well, they will not be able to learn well.
Before now, according to Daily Mail the evidence supporting that sleep supports learning was not available.
The new study that has been released now shows that sleep strengthens the neural connections in the brain. Earlier studies have shown that sleep helps retain the recently formed memories, but those observations were always unclear.
The findings in the study added to research that says that the lack of sleep causes rogue proteins to build up in the eye and increase a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s.
The newest study observed 15 mice. The team of researchers trained some mice to run forwards and some to run backwards on a rotating rod. Some of the mice were allowed to sleep for seven hours while the others were kept awake.
The scientists used a microscope to study the brains of the mice. Those that were able to sleep had more new links between neurons, meaning they were learning more. The researchers also found that deep sleep was an essential part of memory.
On a cellular level, sleep is anything but restful. Sleeping helps boost memory retention and breaking down food, etc.
Professor Wen-Biao Gan, of New York University, said, “We have known for a long time sleep plays an important role in learning and memory. If you do not sleep well you will not learn well.”