Lack of sleep can lead to 40% decrease in learning ability, study finds

Are you a student burning the midnight oil and cramming for finals due to lack of sleep?

Do you work late into the night, thinking that if you can just stay up long enough, you will eventually get where you want to be? Well, an interesting study reveals that lack of sleep could lead to a 40% drop in your learning ability.

So, if you're burning the midnight oil thinking it's helping you ace that test or climb the career ladder, think again.

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Lack of sleep can impact learning – up to 40% drop in ability

Getting restful sleep for the brain is very important. (Image via Unsplash/Kommers )

When we catch some sleep, the brain goes into overdrive to help us remember and learn. Dr. Matthew Walker, a sleep scientist from UC Berkeley, emphasizes the importance of sleep before and after learning.

If you want to remember things, you better get enough shut-eye before diving into learning. After you learn something, sleep helps the memories stick around so that they don't bounce out of the brain.

While we're catching some snooze, the brain goes through various sleep stages, including light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep, where most of our dreams happen. These cycles happen roughly every 90 minutes.

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Sleep stages: Light sleep, deep sleep and REM sleep

Every stages of sleep is crucial for optimal brain function. (Image via Unsplash/Moritz kindler)

The non-REM sleep stages are key for getting the brain ready to learn. However, if you don't catch enough sleep, your ability to soak up new info can drop by a shocking 40%. So, pulling all-nighters won't really boost your brainpower like you think.

It turns out, lack of sleep messes with the important brain part called the hippocampus, which is all about making fresh memories. While we are awake, we gather many memories.

It's during sleep that the brain revisits these memories, deciding which ones to retain and which ones to discard. Dr. Robert Stickgold, a sleep expert from Harvard Medical School, explains that some memories get stronger during sleep.

In fact, research has shown that certain procedural memories, like playing a tune on the piano, can improve while you slumber.

Deep stages of sleep help the brain store memories. After that, REM sleep kicks in and helps link related memories, sometimes in unexpected ways. That's why a full night of sleep is essential for problem-solving and emotion processing: it helps reduce the intensity of emotional memories.

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Age-related changes in sleep patterns and memory reinforcement

Sleep pattern changes as we age. (Image via Unsplash/Yutis Alhumaydy)

As we age, our sleep patterns tend to change, and the stages of deep sleep that reinforce memory start to decline. Adults older than 60 may experience a 70% loss of deep sleep compared to younger adults.

This lack of sleep can lead to difficulties in remembering things the next day and has been associated with memory impairment. Researchers are exploring ways to enhance deep sleep in older individuals to improve their memory.

Lack of sleep can be very deadly for the brain. (Image via Unsplash/Stanford Bucciarelli)

The good news is that sleep is a potentially treatable target when it comes to memory impairment. By restoring healthy sleep patterns, it may be possible to enhance memory functions, especially in older individuals.

For students and young learners, here's an important reminder: the sleep you get after studying is just as vital as the sleep you had before. Skipping out on sleep won't help you when it comes to memory and learning. So, make sure to prioritize enough quality sleep.

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Lack of sleep can mess up your learning skills. Prioritize good sleep if you want to keep your brain in great shape.

It helps you think smarter, remember better and keeps your important organ (brain) healthy overall. Next time you want to stay up all night studying, don't. Catch some quality rest instead, and let your brain handle the heavy lifting.