Learn While You Sleep

Learn While You Sleep

When we think of sleep, we think about how we have reached the end of the day and that it is now time to go to bed. Many people don’t think about the benefits that come with sleep especially when people are tired at the end of the day. It is interesting to think about how it is harmful for humans to deprive themselves of sleep, almost as if it was nature telling us to sleep so we can heal and reenergize to continue with our lives. It is human instinct to sleep so that our bodies can grow both mentally and physically. Our bodies recover from the physical stress that occurred during the day, and our memories along with mental processes are strengthened. We know that the hypothalamus is responsible for maintaining bodily functions as it regulates the peripheral autonomic nervous system. It controls the arousal and depression of our bodies. What is interesting here is that although the hypothalamus controls our sleep, we see brain wave activity all throughout the brain. All areas of the brain are activated especially the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory. Research has shown that memory along with other mental functions are improved during sleep.

In the article Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep, researcher Karen R. Konkoly along with her research team show that individuals who are asleep and in the middle of a lucid dream can perceive questions from an experimenter and provide answers during verified rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. Going back to a point where sleep isn’t deeply thought about, we can also see that there are different stages of sleep, with each stage having their own unique characteristics. Now most of us understand the concept of lucid dreaming in that we know we are dream and that we can control what are dreaming about to a certain extent. Intriguingly, Konkoly’s research has shown that lucid dreaming can be influenced by external factors. Not only can one’s internal state influence their own dream, but it can also be influenced externally. 

Now we go back to the point that memory is improved and consolidated during sleep. With Konkoly’s research findings, this opens a whole new door for research possibilities. If we can manipulate lucid dreaming, to what extent can we improve our memories? There’s a possibility where we can ask people questions that pertain to their jobs or education. If we can manipulate people to have lucid dreaming to the point where they can answer questions completely, then there’s a possibility that our memory can be improved that much further if we are also actively learning in our sleep. A research conducted by Scott Cairney also showed that memory is improved in sleep when active processes that take place in sleep stabilize and transform memories which makes them more resistant to decay.

These studies on sleep are particularly fascinating as there is still so much more to understand and unlock when we talk about sleep. To us humans it is a simple process, but to the body it is complex. So much happens while we sleep, things that we aren’t aware of. It is amazing to see how much we have learned about sleep and how much of benefit it to us. But most importantly, these studies open up the doors for new studies and breakthroughs

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Works Cited

Konkoly, Karen R., et al. “Real-Time Dialogue between Experimenters and Dreamers during Rem Sleep.” Current Biology, vol. 31, no. 7, 21 Apr. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.026. 

Sukel, Kayt. “Can You Learn in Your Sleep?” BrainFacts.org, 4 Oct. 2019, https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/sleep/2019/can-you-learn-in-your-sleep-100419.