Table of ContentsIntroductionStages of MemoryConclusionReferencesQuotesIntroductionEvery day we encounter multiple situations where we rely on past knowledge or a quick understanding of circumstances to make decisions. The ability to create and access memories is essential to a person's adaptation to the dynamic world with which we interact. Memory is our ability to encode, store, retain and then recall past information and experiences in the human brain. “If past events could not be remembered, it would be impossible for language, relationships, or personal identity to develop. » Many studies have been conducted over the past few decades indicating that sleep improves memory retention. Some of them describe that sleep plays a role in strengthening memories by protecting them from interfering stimuli, while others emphasize the role of sleep in consolidating memories to make them lasting. Through this article, we will study and analyze the different ways in which sleep affects memory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayStages of MemoryMemory functions mainly consist of three sub-processes, namely encoding, consolidation and retrieval. Encoding is the process by which our brain processes all the stimuli we encounter. It is believed that each new stimulus we encounter results in the formation of a new memory trace. A memory trace is a unit of cognitive information within the brain, theorized to be the means by which memories are stored. These memory traces formed during encoding have not been stabilized and are volatile. If they do not have the opportunity to consolidate, they risk being lost, which results in “forgetting these memories”. At this stage, memory traces are very likely to be easily disrupted, either due to external influences or proactive interference from older memories. Next, consolidation is the process by which memory traces generated during encoding are stabilized. They are slowly integrated, in waves of consolidation processes, into long-term memory and become available as resources. Consolidation is generally considered to be composed of two subprocesses, synaptic consolidation and system consolidation. Synaptic consolidation occurs immediately after the formation of the memory trace during encoding. Thanks to the consolidation of the system, the memories of the hippocampus slowly become independent of it over time. In consolidation, the strength of the synapse (connection between 2 neurons) increases, by potentiation. This happens when a pathway is used repeatedly, making it more likely that connected neurons will fire together. “At the neuronal level, memory formation is thought to be based on changing the strength of synaptic connections in the network representing the memory.” It is assumed that the waking brain is configured for acute processing of external inputs involving the encoding of new information. and memory retrieval. So when we are awake, our senses are constantly engaged due to the abundance of stimuli and encoding and retrieval takes priority. “Sleep is defined as a natural, reversible state of reduced responsiveness to external stimuli and relative inactivity, accompanied by loss of consciousness.” Reducing intake while we sleep is crucial formemory consolidation. This effect of sleep protects memory from retroactive interference due to lack of formation of new memories. Retrieval refers to the access and recall of previously stored memories. The main problem with memory is that we have a limited capacity and therefore seem to forget or misremember the things we learn. There are several theories that speculate about why “forgetting” or memory loss occurs. One of the first studies to indicate the effect of sleep on memory was the "forgetting curve", an experiment carried out by Ebbinghaus on himself. It was observed that his retention capacity increased when he slept during the retention period. Over time, several studies have been conducted that have indicated the direct impact of sleep on memory, and several theories have been formulated. Among these, the interference theory helps explain the effect in more detail. Interference theory proposes that more recent memories interfere with older memories and vice versa, making the memories impossible to recall. Jenkins and Dallenbach conducted a famous sleep experiment where participants' retention capacity was tested in a waking and sleeping state. The results of this study showed that in a waking state, the degree of forgetting increases due to the new stimuli we perceive, which constitutes a fundamental element of the interference theory. Several experiments have been carried out which show the positive effect of sleep on memory, thus also examining longer retention intervals in the short term. Studies such as (Ref. 2 and Ref. 3.) have shown that sleep definitely provides a huge retention benefit for at least a day. "The underlying concept was that sleep acts as a 'temporary refuge' that simply delays the effect of interference and thus passively maintains memory traces." We also observe that interference effects are significant shortly after learning. The longer the trace waits to be consolidated, the more likely it is to be disrupted. In the next section, we'll look at the effect of different types of sleep on memory. Sleep is of two types REM and SWS. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is the type of sleep in which dreams and other bodily movements occur. SWS (Slow Wave Sleep) refers to the deepest phase of our sleep. This is the phase when we are least active. Memory is mainly classified into two types. The first is declarative memory, which consists mainly of facts and stimuli that we perceive. Non-declarative memory is the other major division of memory. This refers to procedural memory, which we remember unconsciously. An example of non-declarative memory is muscle memory. We will discuss the dual process and sequential hypotheses of memory sleep. According to the dual-process hypothesis, different stages of sleep help consolidate different types of memories. Declarative memory is thought to benefit from SWS, whereas nondeclarative memory consolidation occurs during REM sleep. The experiments for this theory are carried out by testing participants on different things after different types of sleep. "From Ekstrand and colleagues, who created the two sleep types by dividing participants into two groups, early sleep and late sleep." In the early sleep condition, participants completed learning tasks in the evening, then slept for 3 hours, and then their retention was measured. This type of sleep is associated with SWS and the consolidation of declarative memory. The condition of..2014.00219