Better memory linked to sound stimulation during sleep

Memory and sound stimulation during sleep

Most people understand that an appropriate amount of sleep is an essential ingredient to a successful day. According to the American Psychological Association, past research has shown that sleepiness can take a toll on individuals' ability to make effective decisions.

While regular sleep is known to have a positive effect on the brain, new research that appears in the Cell Press journal "Neuron" reveals there may be ways to enhance sleep's impact on people's memory. The study's researchers set out to see how exposure to sound stimulations that are synchronized to the brain's slow oscillation rhythm affected individuals' memory capabilities.

After conducting this study, not only did the researchers behind it find that participants received a higher quality of sleep, but they also discovered that these individuals were better able to remember word associations they had been introduced to before going to sleep.

"The beauty lies in the simplicity to apply auditory stimulation at low intensities – an approach that is both practical and ethical, if compared for example with electrical stimulation – and therefore portrays a straightforward tool for clinical settings to enhance sleep rhythms," said Jan Born of the University of Tübingen in Germany, who also served as the study's co-author.

The results of this study just go to show how much occurs in the brain while people are sleeping. If individuals are interested to learn how their regular sleep routine influences their cognitive abilities, they should consider taking an IQ test.

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