Sleep Makes Memory Possible

tip-o-the-morning

There are many reasons why we sleep but one of the most important reasons is the creation of memory. This occurs during the REM portion of sleep which usually lasts about 20 minutes for each sleep cycle. In order to “get a good nights sleep” we need 4-5 sleep cycles. Each cycle generally lasts between 60-90 minutes. It is during this REM portion of each sleep cycle that something magical occurs. There is an automatic feedback loop that takes place between the hippocampus and the cortex. Sleep, it turns out, helps consolidate learning. During this feedback loop, what we’ve learned the day before is replayed over and over again thousands of times while we are in REM sleep. This feedback loop strengthens synaptic connections between neurons, enabling us to remember what we’ve learned the day before. Sleep, therefore, is the most important thing you can do before an exam, presentation, speaking engagement or anything that requires intense preparation. Seven hours of sleep seems to be the magic number so long as during that seven hours you complete at least four separate sleep cycles. Sleep allows us to remember what we’ve learned. Sleep creates memory.

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Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
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