Having Trouble with Your Memory; How Did You Sleep?

We have many excuses for why we can’t remember where we put the car keys or why we can’t remember what we had planned for later today? There can be certain lifestyle decisions that can be contributing to this problem. How you sleep can be contributing to that problem.

The problem is that it is the part of the sleep cycle that comes at the beginning of the night that helps your brain to reset itself and to store the long term memories. This part of sleep known as slow wave sleep occurs at the beginning of the night sleep cycle and you have less of it as the night goes on.

Your age also has a role in how much slow wave sleep you get. When we are babies we spend most of our sleep time in slow wave sleep. That time is where we grow, heal and recharge our brain to grow. It is that deep peaceful sleep that makes small children so wonderful to watch. As we grow older we have less slow wave sleep because we are no longer growing. So we need to make the most of our sleep

Preparing for sleep so you can go right to sleep is important. Make sure your environment is right. Make sure your room is decluttered, the right temperature and dark. Keep the noise to a minimum. Keep the pets out of the bed. And keep the office out of the room. Your computer does not need to be distracting you from sleep.

Being able to go to sleep and stay asleep is essential part of keeping your memory in shape. It allows your brain to reset itself for the next day’s memories and to store your memories in the long term vaults in your brain.