Preview

Sleep Deprivation: Why Does Sleep Affect Memory?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
740 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sleep Deprivation: Why Does Sleep Affect Memory?
It is an often occurrence for people to blame their miscalculated mistakes on the lack of sleep they obtained the night before. Typically when a person makes a small, often embarrassing, mistake the excuse that person will give is “I am running on no sleep”. Most people generally relate to this saying, and excuse small mistakes caused by lack of sleep because it is an occurrence that happens to almost every person. If the excuse “I am running on no sleep” is an accurate excuse, then therefore it must have some type of true factor, or else it would not be accepted as a universal excuse. Does sleep deprivation affect memory? Through research it is concluded that sleep can affect people when participating in task like vigilance perception (Deaton, …show more content…
In the experiments when comparing the brains ability to form accurate memories, there was a positive correlation to those whom did not have proper amounts as sleep, where as those who did have the proper amount of sleep showed better functioning memory. Those who were “sleep deprived” had apparent reduction in stimulated response rather than an actual change in the brains rate of decay (Elkin, & Murray, 1974). The experimental group of people were in fact affected by the loss of sleep. Those in the experimental group where effected on their ability to correctly present the information that was given to them. For example, in the experimental group those who had been awake for thirty-seven, forty-nine, and fifty-five hours made more errors due to miscopying the information, rather than not retaining the information at all (Elkin, & Murray, 1974). This example suggest that those who have not had an adequate amount of sleep suffer from a reduced attention span, which reduces the attention paid toward the object of their focus. As the experiment continued, those who had sleep loss had issues recognizing information. As sleep deprivation increased, a person’s ability to perform became delayed. Those who had been “sleep deprived” performed considerably worse throughout the experiment than those in the control group, who had an appropriate amount of sleep. The most …show more content…
These findings are support by the fact that those who had gone without sleep had significate change in their ability to focus and process the information they were presented. We can see the impact through the person’s inability to interrupt the information they were presented with accurately. It is also notable in the person’s ability to use immediate response, since the longer the subject went without sleep, the more delayed a person’s response became. Therefore, through the example studies of the experimental group, we can conclude that although sleep deprivation does not decay memory, it does affect the ability to perceive

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Science has proven that sleep is one of the most essential things needed to keep the average individual healthy and stable. Without the “healing” powers of sleep, our minds and our bodies can be easily affected because of the constant feeling of fatigue. The human body thrives on the energy that sleep ensues in our bodies every night. While the average individual is to sleep approximately eight hours a night, realistically speaking, getting that much sleep on a regular basis is something to strive for. And while the amount of sleep we get per night might waver around the average, sleep deprivation is a far cry from being sluggish the next morning. Sleep deprivation has an extreme affect of the mind and body because of the lack of energy that your body may have stored up. However, the biggest affect it might have on your body is the brain. It has been proven the lack of…

    • 1566 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Michael K. Scullin was with Washington University in St. Louis when he performed a study called “Sleep, Memory, and Aging: The Link Between Slow-Wave Sleep and Episodic Memory Changes From Younger to Older Adults”. Since previous research has already proven that slow-wave sleep does decline as we get older. This study was conducted to see if the decline of Slow-Wave Sleep (SWS) in older adults is in fact connected to the decline of their episodic memory. Michael Scullin explained clearly and with an open mind why he was preforming this study.…

    • 663 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sleep is a big part of one’s psychological health. Without sleep, many of our essential cognitive functions would begin to deteriorate. Factors like mood, comprehension, and many more are affected by the lack of sleep in an exceptionally large way. Due to the fact that in humans, we are exceptionally vulnerable mentally as we are physically. Many of us begin to put our well-being in harm’s way by receiving a reduced amount of sleep when compared to the average needed. As illustrated in, Sleep Thieves, Stanley Coren presents an experiment conducted in 1964 by a seventeen year old named Randy Gardner who became the world’s record holder for the longest amount of time spent awake without stimulants. The book, Sleep Thieves, begins to explain…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In today’s world the lack of sleep is a common factor that affects everyone’s daily activities. Unfortunately these people don’t always realize how their sleeping conditions may affect or interfere with their daily routines. A study was conducted in August of 2007 to see whether or not the result of a lower GPA was affected by how the patient slept the night before. This experiment was more focused on teens and adolescents in a school environment than that of adults and work performance. A study like this was used to learn about their mental process that cannot be observed.…

    • 400 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I investigate students attaining higher grades on exams when they receive proper sleep. I discuss 3 possible hypotheses for the reason of this occurrence: 1) more sleep contributes to greater capability in remembering, 2) rest is necessary for the brain to function at its prime, 3) staying awake and studying the night before leaves you with no energy during the actual exam. I will test hypothesis 2, which will include individuals to have 8 hours or more of sleep or less than 8 to no sleep at all and using EEG method to visualize the brains activity in relation to the amount of sleep and observing the scores received on exams. I would expect that students with at least 8 hours of sleep will receive better marks than those who get little to no sleep.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’ Connor tells a bunch of events that happened in order. For an example, the story basically focuses on a series of events that is about a family’s road trip towards the south. The mother’s attitude is a bit rude and selfish. She does not want to go to Florida, so she tries to get her son to cancel the trip. She claims that Florida is a crime zone by saying “I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal loose in it.” To me, that sounds like an excuse and she is trying to start an argument with her son about it.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many of the world’s most famous accidents may have been avoided if only “people [would] learn to [recognize] sleep debt and how it is affecting them” (502). Those of us who deprive our bodies of sleep will begin to think of nothing but sleep. William C. Dement carries out many tests dealing with sleep.…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As most of you may have already suspected, the results of several recent studies have indicated a relationship to sleep with cognitive functions in humans such as reported in this article in a recent issue of US News and World report: Poor Sleep May Age Your Brain. Furthermore, it appears that both too little sleep or too much sleep may be linked to CNS disease states.…

    • 378 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ap Psych Review Quiz

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages

    4. The ________________ believes we must use our unconscious mind through dream analysis to understand human thought and behavior.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Studies show lack of sleep decreases concentration, lowers attention spans, causes forgetfulness, and slows reaction time. Students tend to make more errors with less sleep and this has a direct impact on test scores and grades. Our brains are affected by the amount of sleep we get and the less sleep we get the less it works. It’s just common sense. The more sleep a person gets, the better they will function.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Since sleep deprivation is a widespread condition, studies are done to gain a better understanding about sleep and the effects of limiting the amount we get. This could ultimately lead to better treatments to help the millions around the world. It could also produce more information about sleep in general and its function to the brain and the body. Experiments have shown that cognitive degradation occurs with sleep deprivation,…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stickgold, R & Walker, MP, 2005 ‘Sleep and memory: the ongoing debate’, Sleep, vol. 28, pp. 1225 – 1227.…

    • 4509 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Without sleeping correctly, it could affect your subconscious in ways that are hard to study, but sleeping greatly affects how a mind works and can let you make decisions more rationally than you normally would. There are thousands of reasons that someone may not be sleeping well, and any one of these reasons can cause problems in thought process (WebMD).…

    • 1263 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sleep Indicator

    • 256 Words
    • 1 Page

    An empirical study done by psychologists at the University of San Diego has showed some evidence on how sleep can enhance memory. The study was performed with sixty-seven hybrid male and female mice that had an analogous amount of sexes. The mice were trained to a 12 hour light and dark interval period for about five weeks before the experiment came about. The lights were timed censored and approximated to turn on at 9 am and turn off and 9 pm. The mice had unlimited access to food and water without restriction. During the training period, the mice were isolated in a fear condition chamber, and after a two minute interval, were given foot shocks one minute apart. Additionally five minutes later, the mice were returned to their cages. To test the mice for their prior memory, the psychologists put the mice back in the chamber for a few minutes as an extended post shock period. The psychologists are trying to asses differences in activity or shock reactivity due to the time of day the mice were shocked. This enhancement was specific to the context of memory because there was no difference between the groups for cued memory. The study showed that contextual memory had a deficit in one of the groups. The findings in this study show how quantity and quality of sleep are immensely important on the mind to contain memory. The groups of mice that had more sleep phases, in the experiment, suggests that consolidation is not time…

    • 256 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Recently, the National Sleep Foundation did a study that proved that the hours someone sleeps in a night can affect a person’s way to reason. The foundation found data that explained what happened…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays