At the 12-hour retest, memory overall was superior following a night of sleep compared to a day of wakefulness. However, this performance difference was a result of a pronounced deterioration in memory for unrelated word pairs; there was no sleep-wake difference for related word pairs. At the 24-hour retest, with all subjects having received both a full night of sleep and a full day of wakefulness, subjects' memories were superior when sleep occurred shortly after learning, rather than following a full day of wakefulness.

"Since we found that sleeping soon after learning benefited both types of memory, this means that it would be a good thing to rehearse any information you need to remember just prior to going to bed.

When it comes to sleep,it`s not just quantity that matters-it´s quality. How you feel during your waking hours hinges greatly n how well you sleep.

Other study suggests :People learn while they sleep

People may be learning while they're sleeping -- an unconscious form of memory that is still not well understood, according to a study by Michigan State University researchers.

Lead assistant on the project,Kimberly Fenn said: "There is substantial evidence that during sleep, your brain is processing information without your awareness and this ability may contribute to memory in a waking state."

"This is the first step to investigate whether or not this potential new memory construct is related to outcomes such as classroom learning," she said.

It also reinforces the need for a good night's sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, people are sleeping less every year, with 63 percent of Americans saying their sleep needs are not being met during the week.

"Simply improving your sleep could potentially improve your performance in the classroom," Fenn said.

Source:sciencedaily.com;helpguide.org;healthysleep.med.harvard.edu

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