Quality Reasons to Get Quality Sleep Consistently

A central function of sleep is to consolidate memories. Memory consolidation is the process through which learned information becomes stable, long-term memories. Memory consolidation can even be thought of as "sleep dependent" because sleep is primarily the time when you consolidate new memories. During sleep, newly learned information from the day is replayed at high speed and the memories are strengthened.

It is typical for people to refer to having "muscle memory" when they can automatically carry out a movement sequence. Learning a new motor task is impaired if a person is deprived of REM sleep. Subsequently, the next-day performance on a motor sequence correlates with the amount of REM sleep a person gets. We learn and practice new motor tasks all the time. For example: how to play the piano, learning movement sequences in a sport, learning how to type, or even learning a controller movement in a new video game. When that person sleeps that night, these recently learned motor sequences will be replayed and strengthened. Because most REM sleep happens in the later part of the night, it is essential to get a full night of sleep to learn new motor tasks in a most efficient manner.

Another critical function of sleep is to help us process and regulate emotions we experience during the day. This includes the consolidation of emotional memories. REM sleep deprivation decreases the ability to retrieve emotional memories. Proper REM sleep is very important for processing emotions, and deprivation of it leads to increased emotional reactivity the next day.

It is particularly important for allowing the brain to discriminate between threatening and non-threatening stimuli. Without this ability, emotional reactivity can become unstable and unpredictable. That is, more things that happen during the day may be perceived as a threat to the brain. This leads to a hypervigilant person who may be more irritable or react to the events of daily life with disproportionate responses.

Are you getting the necessary 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night?