SLEEPING TO LEARN SLEEPING TO LEARN
NIH—-NEWS IN HEALTH

Sleeping to Learn
Research suggests these tips may aid students and other learners:

Get a good night’s sleep before learning. Lack of sleep can cut learning ability by up to 40%. Get a full night of sleep within 24 hours after learning to strengthen new memories and build connections between different pieces of information. Get enough sleep each night—7 to 8 hours for most adults. Memories won’t be strengthened with 4 hours or less of nighttime sleep. Naps might help or hinder. A 90-minute nap can strengthen memories, but naps late in the day may make it harder to get to sleep at night.