It is interesting to note that babies spend 50% of sleep time in deep REM sleep, while adults spend about 5% of sleep in deep REM sleep. Babies’ bodies are complete at birth with the exception of the brain, where cells must learn to communicate with each other.
Incredibly, by age three, a baby has twice the number of brain connections of adults (Hornug, 1999). A lot of learning was going on while baby slept.
Learning Happens During REM Sleep
Sleep consists of five stages, three of which are called REM, or "rapid eye movement."
- In stage one, the eye and body movements slow down.
- During stage two, eye movement stops and brain waves slow down, mingled with a few rapid waves.
- At stage three, brain waves are very slow with fewer rapid waves.
- Stage four produces the slowest brain waves with few interruptions.
Ironically, it is during stages three and four that the brain is busiest. It is during this time that rapid eye movements begin, dreams occur, and our body is virtually paralyzed so that we do not harm ourselves.
How We Learn During Deep REM Sleep
It is believed that deep REM sleep is important because that is when memories are formed and things that we learned during the day are filed in the right place, just we create files and folders on our computer.
According to the National Institutes of Health, animal studies show that, similar to a computer, the brain stores new memories, while "old files" (meaning "old memories") may be re-visited. This explains why dreams are often a hodgepodge of recent events mixed with childhood memories.
One study, conducted under the auspices of the NIH, showed that new tasks were recalled more accurately when study volunteers had a full night’s sleep. Their sleep included all four phases of sleep, while other subjects were deprived of sleep or had less than six hours of sleep. Only those who had at least six hours of sleep showed improved learning. In addition, subjects who slept eight hours out-performed those who spent seven or six hours sleeping.
Problem Solving and Creativity During Sleep
The expression “sleep on it” appears to be well founded, as adequate sleep also improves the ability of brain to develop new ideas and creative ways to solve problems. Another study sponsored by the NIH tested volunteers for these skills and found that those who slept before a problem solving exercise were much more likely to find a creative solution or to simplify a task than those who were not given the opportunity to sleep.
Sleeping and Learning
It sounds like we all need to learn to “sleep like a baby,” and get the eight hours necessary to experience several sleep cycles. Unlike babies, only one-fifth of adult sleep consists of the learning phase. Don't miss out on deep REM sleep if you want to stay connected to your learning and creative skills.
Reference:
Hornung, A, S,,"Infants and Toddlers, the Amazing Brain, Scholastic Parent & Child, March 1999,
