As we lay our heads on the pillow and immerse ourselves in thought, we suddenly find ourselves awakened in the morning. How can this happen in a way that we do not realize?
This transitional phase is experienced so softly that we fail to notice those little phases. We actually experience a kind of “amnesia” just before we get carried away. Okay but why?
While falling asleep, we do not suddenly fall into a deep sleep. Because sleep is a process, not instantaneous.
Just before we fall asleep – as you know – our attention level begins to decline significantly. We are less aware of what is going on around us, we hardly react to low sounds. So in these moments we can’t code new memories very well, because we can’t pay enough attention to the surroundings.
Our brain doesn’t like to have the attention process work too hard just before we fall asleep. Even if you hear your lover talking to you at these moments, your brain does not need to record the words. For this reason, when you wake up in the morning, you can even have a trip from your lover.
The frontal lobe, the front part of our brain, is the first to fall asleep.
The frontal lobe also contains the prefrontal cortex, the center of our consciousness. Since the consciousness is not actively active when we fall asleep, memories are not transferred to our memory – because communication between neurons is stopped.
For new memories to last longer than a few minutes, they must be transferred from short-term storage to long-term storage in the brain.
This process is called consolidation. Studies have shown that the sentences said to someone while they are falling asleep cannot remember what was said when that person wakes up. In other words, the process of falling asleep closes the door of the consolidation process. When this door is closed, new memories cannot be transferred from short-term storage to long-term storage.
Studying sleepily before going to bed is therefore not productive.
You will be more likely to forget what you have read and memorized. In fact, when you pick up the book the next day, it may be as if you never read those pages. That’s why it’s never a good idea to study all night before final exams. Now that you know the reason for this situation, you can sleep peacefully.
Sources: Nature, Morris Psych
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