Losing half a night of sleep makes memories less accessible in stressful situations

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-07/uu-lha071315.php

Public Release: 13-Jul-2015
Uppsala University

It is known that sleep facilitates the formation of long-term memory in humans. In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, now show that sleep does not only help form long-term memory but also ensures access to it during times of cognitive stress.

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"On the basis of our study findings, we have two important take home messages: First, even though losing half a night of sleep may not impair memory functions under baseline conditions, the addition of acute cognitive stress may be enough to lead to significant impairments, which can possibly be detrimental in real-world scenarios. Second, interventions such as delaying school start times and greater use of flexible work schedules, that increase available snooze time for those who are on habitual short sleep, may improve their academic and occupational performance by ensuring optimal access to memories under stressful conditions", says Jonathan Cedernaes, researcher at the Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University.

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