Did you know that sleep plays a key role in your memory and emotional stability?
Most people know that sleep quality often affects their mood. But are we truly aware of the impact that the quality of our sleep—both in the short and long term—has on memory consolidation?
We spend a third of our lives in bed. But with the fast-paced lifestyle of our generation, people sacrifice their sleep to be more productive or to do things they can’t do during the day. Spending nights watching movies and TV shows can be fun, but the saying “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” shouldn’t be a rule in our lives.
To make the most of these days, we need to respect our sleep cycles, and to do that, a good bed and a good mattress are essential.
Our days are governed by a rhythm dictated by the presence and absence of the sun. And our brain goes through a similar cycle at night, during which different parts of our conscious and subconscious minds are active. Our sleep is divided into several cycles, and each sleep cycle lasts approximately 90 minutes.
NREM and REM Sleep
During an average night’s sleep—8 hours—a person goes through between 4 and 6 sleep cycles. Throughout these cycles, we go through two different and very important stages: the NREM stage and the REM stage. The former typically accounts for 75% of our sleep, but as the night progresses, our brain gradually becomes more active, and the REM phase increases. Toward the end of the night, we begin to secrete corticotropin, a stress hormone, which prepares our body to enter a waking state.
Sleep Cycles
Our nights begin with the NREM stage; we go through a process of light, slow-wave sleep. This is the period during which the body is still aware of its surroundings; we may often believe that we are still awake, but it is the first phase we go through when we fall asleep. During this stage, we tend to mix external sensations with dreams. One of the most common experiences is the sensation—or dream—of falling, which sometimes causes us to wake up.
When we start to fall asleep, our consciousness is able to perceive the space around us, but little by little we begin to lose that awareness. Having a good bed is essential during this phase so that you can fall asleep without any problems, since there are external factors that can easily disrupt the process.
This phase is followed by slow-wave sleep. The dreams during this phase are primarily related to our daily lives, our recent experiences, and our thoughts. Thanks to this part of sleep, we are able to consolidate these experiences. Following this deep, restorative sleep, we reach one of the most important stages of the night. It is during this stage that the body recovers. Our body temperature drops, and our brain activity also decreases.
Finally, in the early hours of the morning, we reach the longest stage of REM sleep—the best-known stage because it is characterized by high brain activity, which leads to more dreams. These dreams play with our notions and perceptions of the world and reality; they tend to be highly symbolic.
Thanks to these types of sleep—“light slow-wave sleep,” “deep slow-wave sleep (highly restorative),” and “rapid eye movement (REM) sleep”—our body and brain are able to rest, but also to consolidate the experiences we have during the day.
Many of these cycles depend on external conditions that influence our sleep, especially at the beginning of the night. These different phases not only help our bodies recover but also contribute to the stability of our emotional and cognitive states.
The Importance of Sleep Stages for Memory
These two phases—NREM and REM—thus play a fundamental role in the consolidation of our memory. It is through these cyclical stages that we are able to develop and consolidate our long-term memory.
How do we consolidate memories while we sleep?
When we sleep, we go through several consolidation processes. You could say that our brain begins to review our day, as if it were a book, and we consolidate both our explicit and implicit memory. Explicit memory refers to the conscious storage of specific information, events, situations, and experiences. This is further divided into two types: episodic memory, which is linked to the events and episodes of our lives, and semantic memory, which consists of all explicit memory that is not directly linked to our personal history or experiences. We can say that this also includes information retained or learned outside of our own physical experience, such as through reading, a course, etc.
The second type, implicit memory, is related to an unconscious memory process that is directly linked to our cognitive functions and motor skills. It allows us to act and perform our daily tasks without having to think about them; this is why we refer to them as “skills,” such as writing, speaking, riding a bike, brushing our teeth, and walking.
Deprivation of REM sleep has a very strong impact on mood, but when it comes to total deprivation of our sleep cycles, we experience cognitive problems; we may have trouble expressing ourselves, we may feel like we’re forgetting words, and we may even disrupt the consolidation and retention of information learned during the day.
Several studies have shown that a lack of good sleep interferes with recovery from depression or anxiety. People suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression experience an improvement in their symptoms when their sleep patterns improve. The consolidation of memories of recent events and experiences will lead to a positive change in our perception of the world, both in the short and long term.
Restful sleep promotes emotional stability and the resilience of our cognitive and motor skills, thanks to these processes that consolidate our long-term memory.
This leads to a better life and better physical and mental health.
So, what should you keep in mind to get a good night's sleep?
Homeostasis: The key is in your latex mattress.
In order to go through all these stages and get a restful night’s sleep, we need to sleep in an ideal environment. Homeostasis is made possible by external factors and our body’s circadian rhythms.
When we sleep, our body tries to lower its temperature to maintain all of our bodily functions and reach an optimal temperature that will allow us to enter our sleep cycles. But if the body cannot reach this temperature, we will wake up and our sleep will be interrupted. That is why the environment in which we sleep is key to ensuring the quality of our sleep.
One of the most important things when it comes to sleep is using a good mattress that supports our body’s natural processes. By preventing sweating and allowing air to circulate around us, we’re taking care of our health—both mental and physical.
Natural latex is breathable, ensuring comfort and an ideal sleeping environment. By using a 100% natural latex mattress, you can allow your body to move naturally in a natural environment.
That's why we recommend that you use anatural latexmattress. Because when you choose a latex mattress, you're taking care of your memory—and your life.
If you want to learn more about natural latex mattresses, read our article onthepros and cons of buying a natural latex mattress.
The Kipli Team.