Rest ''improves students'' learning abilities''
16/06/2011
Students could improve their grades by ensuring they spend long enough in their beds, a team of researchers from Washington University, St Louis has established.
Participants were given a brief introduction in economics, despite having no knowledge of the subject, before being tested on what they had learnt.
Those who had slept adequately over the 12-hour period were found to have achieved higher scores than the volunteers who were deprived of rest.
"Our findings demonstrate the importance of sleep to the ability to flexibly combine distinct concepts to solve novel problems. This ability is critical to classroom learning," commented lead author Michael Scullin.
Experts from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine recently discovered that wearing a cooling cap during the night can have a positive impact on people's ability to sleep.
The team believe that the cooling effect makes the brain more prone to winding down, therefore inducing rest.
Posted by Michael Ewing
