Do you wish your memory was better? It looks like better sleep might be all you need. Sleep and memory have been linked in various studies throughout the years. We know that one of the functions of sleep is to “file” things that we have learned through the day into the appropriate “file cabinets” in our brain. This enables us to easily find the information when we need to recall it.

Researchers at Northwestern University are among the latest to show that the memory of and the ability to perform a recently learned skill is enhanced by sleep. In the study the researchers had people learn to play two separate  musical pieces using visual symbols. After learning to play the tunes the subjects took a 90 minute nap. While the subjects were sleeping the researchers played only one of the two tunes. They discovered that the participants were able to replay the song that they had heard during their sleep with greater accuracy than the one that hadn’t been played.

Other recent studies have shown that students who slept shortly after memorizing two different sets of word pairs had better recall of the information they’d learned than those who stayed awake for several hours. Another project showed that children with obstructive sleep apnea had more difficulty with both short- and long-term memory recall than children without the sleep breathing disorder.

This type of research is fascinating and shows us just how damaging poor sleep can be. Patients who snore or have spouses that snore and people with obstructive sleep apnea experience disrupted sleep all night long! Find out how treating your snoring and obstructive sleep apnea can help clear the brain fog and improve your health.

Please contact Dr. Mark Levy at StoneRidge Dental Care  in Columbus, OH today at 614-476-6696 to schedule your consultation.