The power of sleep may stretch far beyond curing tiredness. According to researchers, information acquired while one is awake is actively altered, restructured and strengthened during sleep. Thus, there may be evidence that spatial memories are consolidated during deep sleep.
Because sleep and memory are highly complex topics, exploring the consolidation process was somewhat of a challenge. Therefore, in order to gather their data, researchers asked a group of volunteers to first learn the layout of a virtual town of a computer game. Afterward, they were tested on their knowledge of the town and challenged to quickly find routes to specific locations in the town. Researchers divided the volunteers into three groups:
It was discovered that the activity level in the brain's learning center (hippocampus) was linked with the improvement in memory performance. In fact, when comparing group one to group three, researchers found that group one showed greater activity in their hippocampus.
Also, group two showed greater activity in the hippocampus during sleep, compared to group three. This proves that the gain in post-sleep performance depends on the level of non rapid eye movement (NREM) brain activity during sleep.
Science Blog October 28, 2004
Most people aren't getting nearly enough sleep they should be. This is a problem as sleep is critical to maintaining optimal health and for that reason alone should be at the top of your priority list.
Unfortunately, our careers and jobs often force us to work and worry 24-7, and some people believe the more effort you make, the more dedicated, smarter and productive you'll be. This is not the case, for you may actually be trading your health for a fatter paycheck!
For those of you who struggle with getting a good night sleep, I suggest you read my sleep guidelines. It is crucial that you understand that improving your melatonin levels is key to getting a good night's sleep, so make sure you have exposure to bright sunlight in the daytime and sleep in absolute darkness at night.
I strongly recommend installing black out shades and/or curtains in your bedroom. If you don't have them already installed you can go to the grocery store and cut out some large pieces of cardboard to fit your window. It is important you sleep in cave-like darkness and can't even see your hand in front of your face.
Remember: No night-lights or clock radio lights. Also, never TURN ON the lights should you need to get up and use the rest room. Any small amount of light will instantly shut off your melatonin production.
Another excellent tool that will help improve your sleep is the Insight CD, which I personally use myself and recommend to all of my patients. Listening to this CD will provide you relief from stress you encounter throughout the day. This is an amazing technology that has helped many of my patients improve their sleeping habits.
Finally, if memory is something you struggle with, a great tool I have found to be remarkably effective and efficient (and very affordable) to help you achieve higher concentration and clarity levels is through the Focus 2-CD, which you can order as a complete set with the Insight CD.
The CDs work by training your brain to function at higher levels of consciousness by a brain wave entertainment technology that works very similarly to years of meditation. The CDs help improve your levels of concentration and clarity, increasing your memory, creativity levels and problem-solving skills.
By listening to both of these CDs, you can literally train your brain to function at a high level of synchronization, opening up the way for a flood of positive effects.
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