Unfinished portions, sleepless night, mugging up stuff, anxiety, tension are all synonym for exams. Yes, exams have always given us a hard time. We have often heard students say – “I had studied all night but I couldn’t recall anything, “I went blank while writing the exam”, “nothing was coming in my mind.” Have you ever wondered why? We work day and night but still nothing seems to work…..Maybe the answer lies in our sleep!
Yes, sleep plays a major role in forming our memory and in helping us remember!
Confused as to how sleeping can help you remember in exams? May be its better we use that time in studying rather than sleeping! But what if I say that sleep and memory go hand in hand. Yes you read it right. In order to remember (not only during exams but for a life time) it is important that we take a good night sleep.
As we all need a time out to give our body some rest, our brain also needs a time out, not to rest but to retrieve the existing knowledge. Sleep helps in segregating the existing information into what is important and what is not, and then retaining the required and eliminates the unwanted stuff.
But why only sleep? Sleeping gives brain the time to consolidate the existing information without any external interference which might act as a hindrance during the waking stage. Therefore having a nap right after you have received an information can help you retain it better and longer.