The last name of a friend escapes you for the moment. You left the house without the bank deposit that was your reason for leaving the house in the first place. The report you stayed up writing and carefully binding is missing. You are not losing your memory but that is how you feel. Your mind just seems scattered these days. There is just so much to do and keep track of, it overwhelms the mind. If this sounds familiar, you may want to start tracking your sleep habits.

There are three steps to memory and each is important.

• Acquired Information: You placed your completed report in your briefcase. You did that so you would not forget it next morning. You watch T.V. and fall asleep.
• Consolidation: Seven hours later you are looking everywhere for the report. You assume you left it on the table where you were working but you have no memory of exactly what you did after finishing.
• Recall: You cannot access the memory of placing the report in your briefcase because during the consolidation step the memory did not become stable.

Two of the steps, acquisition and recall only happen while you are awake. Memory consolidation takes place during sleep. Research suggests the neural connections that create memories are possible because of brain waves during sleep stages. Sleep deprivation means brain neurons do not fire efficiently, and our body systems do not properly synchronize each night. Sleep deprivation causes a lapse in focus so acquired information is not consolidated. We cannot recall information we have not consolidated.

Deep restorative sleep plays a vital role processing and consolidating newly gained information. Sleep is not just a little something to keep you going. You may decide how long you are going to sleep but your body decides how long you need to sleep. For restorative sleep, your body needs the time to go through all stages. When deprived, your memory does not work optimally. Not just your memory though. You compromise your ability to learn and the available energy available to lead a productive life.

One more hour of restful sleep on a comfortable mattress could strengthen the quality of your life.

More Resources

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