Sleep 'helps build a better memory'
14/07/2008
A good night's sleep can help to build an improved memory, research by leading Swiss scientists suggests.
Presented at the Forum of European Neuroscience in Geneva, the study appeared to presented proof of a strengthening of connections between communicating nerve cells in the brain after sleep.
Volunteers were shown images or taught a new skill they would later have to remember and then divided into groups that had eight hours sleep in bed or were only allowed a nap, with some being deprived completely.
Dr Sophie Schwartz of the University of Geneva who led this study said: "Our results revealed that a period of sleep following a new experience can consolidate and improve subsequent effects of learning from the experience."
She added that sleep made the experiences more permanent as opposed to fragile recollections.
A study by the Asia-Pacific Pediatric Sleep Alliance found that Singaporean children get less sleep, with the average bedtime of a toddler being 9:45pm - much later than the average 8:30pm in the West.
