Learn in sleep

Can you learn while sleeping? There is no consensus of evidence on this- but some people make claims that it works. Many studies have shown that a good night's sleep assists the learning process. Sleep helps you to learn information that you have come across during the day.

Sleep may contribute to neurogenesis, the formation of new nerve cells in the brain¹.

First of all, if your ‘lifestyle’ doesn’t let you learn or memorise during the day, then you can forget learning anything in sleep.

Some people are in a state of ‘FLOW’ with a chosen task; and even in their sleep they are recalling the same thoughts. For example, when you are ‘in love’- you can help thinking or even dreaming about the person you love. You thought about this person all day & your brain has done similar activity even when you were sleeping!

Sleep-learning attempts to convey information to a sleeping person, typically by playing a sound recording to them while they sleep.

Neuroscientists say that during sleep the hippocampus (where memory is stored) becomes highly active and moves knowledge from short-term memory to long-term memory^2,3.

A midday nap can help boost your memory -, but only if you learned them well in the first place⁴.

Fact: Overscheduled people often look at sleep as wasted time. Sleep plays a crucial role in brain development and growth. We all multi-task while we’re awake- its not healthy & reduces your efficiency. At least in sleep, you should have no external distraction & let the brain reorganise the chemicals that make ‘memory’.

The body should not be viewed as a machine- all natural things follow cycles: night after day, winter after summer & so on. This is for a reason, nature wants to reset & restore the capacity of functioning for the next cycle.

Conclusion: Miracles happen only in fairy tales. 

Solution: Focus & learn while you are awake & have a sound sleep to consolidate it.

References:

1)      Guzman-Marin R, Suntsova N, Bashir T, Nienhuis R, Szymusiak R, McGinty D. Rapid eye movement sleep deprivation contributes to reduction of neurogenesis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the adult rat. Sleep. 2008 Feb 1;31(2):167-75. PubMed

2)      Gais S, Born J. Declarative memory consolidation: mechanisms acting during human sleep. Learn Mem. 2004 Nov-Dec;11(6):679-85. PubMed

3)      Marshall L, Helgado'ttir H, Molle M, Born J. Boosting slow oscillations during sleep potentiates memory. Nature. 2006 Nov 30;444(7119):610-3. PubMed

4)      Tucker MA, Fishbein W. Enhancement of declarative memory performance following a daytime nap is contingent on strength of initial task acquisition. Sleep. 2008 Feb 1;31(2):197-203. PubMed

Exam is a gamble

ACTIVE learning

Wake up your half-asleep brain!

You only have a limited time to study- how can you get the most out of it?

The answer is ‘ACTIVE’ learning, as opposed to a passive ‘spending time’ with the book.

The formula to activate the mind is:

1)      Preparation

 - Be clear what topic you will read about in this sitting.

- Take a blank sheet- jot down 5- 10 points that you ‘already know’ about it. (Whether you know a lot or too little- just jot down some facts)

- Solve MCQs on the topic/ try recalling the definitions, formulae, etc ( YES- before you start)

- Ask yourself what you need to clarify today.

2)      ACTIVE reading

-          Search ‘chunks’ that appear important (definitions, formulae, theories, concepts, etc)

-          Highlight these/ underline/ put stars next to them

-          Did you find answers to the questions raised earlier?

-          Finish by reading a second time- jot down 5- 10 new points you discovered today.

-          These are your revision notes- carry these on small ‘trump cards’ to look at frequently

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the ‘PRE-PARATION’ before you read the topic.

If you stimulate yourself adequately before getting the book in hand- you will be actively searching for information, rather than reading aimlessly.

Try this method to activate the sleeping mind on a few occasions & you’ll wonder why it is taking less time to read the same chapters that felt drag previously.

Good luck

How to find motivation

If you can find this- you dont need any more tips.
I have achieved success on many occassions- whether an exam or an interview.
The biggest secret to success is first searching the 'WHY'.

If you have a big enough reason, you can even move a mountain.

There are examples of an old women who lifted a car to save her child underneath it, of people fighting with a tiger to save their loved ones; and football players who continue playing with an open wound in their legs to win the match.

What gave them so much strength & determination- it was the answer to their 'WHY' they must do it.
This is not just a wish or a dream, they decide a BIG reason to do what it takes it to do.

Now, if you have been walking for an hour on a long road for an hour & are half way to the destination- you will become a bit slowed down. Now if you meet a mad dog running towards you, you will find the energy again & more to run the fastest to save your life.

If your goal is very big, you need a BIGGER reason to work towards it- if you can find this, you will achieve the goal no matter what.

Action tip: Be clear about your goal- is it SMART?
Now write it on top of a lined paper.
write down: 'WHY do i want to get this' underneath it.
Think of every reason why you must get this SMART goal, in this time.
Write these one by one underneath, using either a bullet point or a number.

It doesnt matter how many reasons you find- but usually 5- 10 are enough. Too many will distract you.
For some, even the single most important reason is enough.

Be sure to hang this paper above your study desk & look at it many times during the day to find your motivation.


I hope this helps....I have a few more methods to find the motivation...so keep coming back.

Posture while studying

This could come as a surprise for some, but there has been research into what postures are best to study- and no its not sitting on a desk!


What researchers did: They split a class of students into 4 groups & gave then an article to memorise. The 4 groups were further instructed to take as long as they feel to memorise it.
The difference was there posture- they were asked to be either lying down, sitting on a chair, standing on a spot, or walking around in a room with the paper in hand.


Results: No surprise here, the group that was lying down took the longest time & still scored lowest marks.

The standing group did better than the sitting one. But the students who were slowly walking around in the room learnt rapidly & scored highest.

Further more, the 'lying down' group remembered better in a similar posture.

Its a different story, if you are reading a boring book at bedtime to fall asleep. However, if its an important piece of work- get upright & get going- you need it.

So think about it friends, you should decide to be active for each of the 30- 40 minute of each study session in an upright posture. Then take a small break & resume again.

What to do in the break, we shall see in a later post.

Eating for exam performance

Exam days and the ones during preparation can be very stressful. There is a build up of anxiety, confusion due to the vast syllabus and no sense of direction (for most).

Students tend to neglect their diet, eat what they get or just eat junk. Can this affect your exam performance- no doubt it does. Simply eating breakfast is really important - if you don’t your concentration levels will dip. But if you're holed up revising in a library all day, the temptation to grab a Snickers bar from the vending machine can be too great to deny.

It’s easy to remember that excess of carbohydrates or fats tend to make you sleepy (opposite of what is needed). Particularly refined carbohydrates give you swings in blood sugar and so in mood. It is far preferable to nourish your body with wholesome foods containing plenty of fruits and vegetables. Foods high in protein also tend to keep you alert and give sustained energy.

If you are in a habit of studying late nights, always keep a supply of salads and fruits to snack on, rather than biscuits or chocolates. Snack smart on fresh fruits (bananas), dry fruits, honey-coated nuts, seeds, roasted whole grains, soups, salads or yogurt to prevent swings in blood sugars and cravings. These fill you with good nutrition without making you dull or constipated.

Some students like to supplement with multivitamins- which is not a bad idea. If you don’t get good food, then a good vitamin helps.

Finally, don’t forget to keep yourself (& your brain) well hydrated. Keep your water bottle filled and keep sipping from it. If your waterworks (urine) is dark coloured, then you need to increase water intake.

Just like sportsmen pay attention to their diet for competition, preparing for exams also needs some attention to a healthy balanced diet.

You will see a difference in performance with a clearer thinking.

Exercise the body for better mental performance

Most of us know that physical exercise is good for our general health, but did you know that physical exercise is also good for your brain?

There is a symbiotic relation between body & brain. Althouth the brain controls the body movements, the body in turn nourishes it.

If the body is sluggish, the mind also becomes dull.

If you've been sitting aroung & not getting new ideas- get up & walk- you will feel refreshed & also get new ideas.

Working out with an aerobic exercise routine will benefit not just your body but also your mind. Research shows that high-intensity cardiovascular exercise boosts mental performance and can even reverse age-related losses of brain mass and mental function.

However, prolonged & very intensive ( eg powerlifting) workouts also exhaust the brain chemical reserves.

If your heart rate is elevated and you're panting, that's a good sign that you're exerting yourself and training your body to have increased aerobic capacity. The key thing that seems to trigger changes in the brain structure and chemistry is blood flow. The more dramatic the increase in blood flow to the brain, the more dramatic the likely mental health benefits will be.

Movement and exercise increase breathing and heart rate so that more blood flows to the brain, enhancing energy production and waste removal.


Running's brain-boosting effects were in the hippocampus, a region of the brain linked to learning and memory and known to be affected by Alzheimer's disease.

So are you going to choose skipping rope, cycling, stairs or plain running?

Low muscle tone (sluggish body) leads to depressed thourhts & low mood. However, over-excited body, highly strung & tense muscles lead to anxiety and neurosis. A balance is achieved by regular & varied exercise for toned-up muscles that is optimal for mental function.

In nutshell, get your daily dose of about 20 minutes of intensive aerobic exercise for a peak mental performance.