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Surprising Science

Better Asleep Than Awake

After decades of careful observation, scientists have figured out that there are a few things we do better when we're sleeping than when we're awake. Dealing with stress is one.

Most neuroscientists agree that sleep is when we organize memories for long-term storage. People whose sleep is disturbed after studying have far more imperfect recall than people who get a good eight hours of shuteye. But a study published a couple of weeks ago shows that you can use simple memory reinforcement techniques while you’re sleeping that will make your recall better than average. … What our brains do while we sleep has a lot to do with how well we remember what we’ve done while we’re awake.


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