From the discussion above, you may now have seen the whole picture of why sleep is not only indispensable in the formation of memory; it also plays a vital role in selecting what kinds of memories are stored.
Sleep is a partial loss of consciousness. While learning new information happens while we are awake, the development of that learned information into memory occurs only while we are unconscious. Sleep, therefore, is equivalent to memory.
If you want to be effective with your learning performance, the amount and quality of your sleep should never be left out of the equation:
Formulate a Sleep Schedule. The first step in getting a long-term good sleeping habit is to make your body conform to a particular sleep-wake cycle. You must choose a time in which you will hit the bed and a time to get up, whether it is a workday, holiday or rest day.
This cycle will underpin your bio-clock to a consistent pattern in which your body will find it hard to deviate from. It may be tough at first because you may have to force yourself to sleep at a particular time even if you barely feel sleepy, but with constant reinforcement and out of habit, your body will get used to it.
Develop a Before-Bedtime Routine. To train yourself to sleep at a particular time, create a ritual which may signal your brain that it’s time to relax and slow down. This could be taking a warm bath, listening to music, reading a book, meditating or anything that is soothing.
Foods and Drinks. Do not go to sleep hungry or thirsty because biological necessities will persistently call your attention for fulfillment, and thus, may result in sleep interference. Do not stuff yourself with a heavy meal before bedtime or eat fruits that are acidic such as apple or oranges. A banana is a good choice because its potassium content helps promote sleep.
Cut your intake of caffeine in the afternoon or put a gap of at least 6 hours from the time you drink coffee and before your intended hour of sleep. While alcohol is a downer which makes you sleepy, drinking beer or wine may, in fact, affect the quality of your sleep because it makes you restless and wake up frequently.
Turn off your digital gadgets. Laptops, phones and tablets belong in the workplace and at the study table. By all means, do not bring these with you as you tuck yourself in because it evokes alertness and disrupts the natural waking and sleep cycle.
If possible, do not even put a television in the bedroom. The presence of these gadgets has a negative impact[8] on the circadian rhythm of a warm body, which is controlled by a tiny region in the hypothalamus, specifically called the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
The emission of light from electronic devices mimics daylight. Aside from keeping your mental activity up and running while using the device, the blue light emitted diminishes your perception of evening, which is a cue for the brain to slow down.