Just about everyone has heard the phrase ‘sleep on it’. Sleep is important in many ways. What

follows is one of those very important ways. Sleep is incredibly important for memory and learning.

Think about the immense amount of information that we acquire over a lifetime, or even in a day. Somehow we find a way to remember a large part of that information. When we first take in information much of it is forgotten unless there is some way to move it from short-term memory into long-term memory. The movement of information from short-term memory into long-term memory is called consolidation.

A very basic principle is that memory and learning are a function of frequency. In other words, repetition. It is a very simple concept. The more you go over something or repeat it, the better you will remember it. The more you do something, the better you get at it. When a person prepares for a test they study.

What is studying?

It is going over the material again and again. The more times you review the material the better your chance of getting a good grade.

How do you get better at a sport?

You practice.

What is practice?

You keep doing your moves over and over again to get better at it.

Where does sleep fit in here?

During sleep, your memories are reactivated. This is an important process for consolidation. If you get enough sleep, your brain will help you remember things.

When you are sleeping the process of consolidation happens without us even knowing about it.

The memories we develop while we are awake are preserved while we sleep.

How does the brain do that while we are sleeping, without our help or awareness that it is happening?

The part of our brain that does this amazing function is the hippocampus. It is located above our ears in a part of the brain called the temporal lobe. The whole process is complicated but I will try to make it simple.

The hippocampus communicates with the cortex, sets up a circuit in the cortex that repeats or replays the information that you want to remember. The information is repeated many times inmthat circuit, which ultimately leads to consolidation of the memory. Remember that memory and learning depend on how many times the information is repeated. That is what happens in this circuit. The cortex is the outer layer of the brain that communicates with other areas of the brain.

It is the surface of the brain that you see with all the grooves, folds, and bumps. It takes new memories that are fragile and turns them into memories that last a long time. Not getting enough sleep or being sleep-deprived impairs the consolidation process.

A common story that I hear from kids is that they are on their phones or tablets long into the night. They are not doing well in school and their grades leave much to be desired. Not only are they not remembering the information that is required, they are not particularly attentive in class either. You cannot remember what you have not paid attention to in the first place.

It is good practice for parents to not let their children take their phones or tablets to bed with them. | know they do not need them to sleep. If a child is addicted to his or her phone or tablet, that is an issue that needs to be dealt with. They need to sleep.

It does not matter whether you are a child, teenager, or adult. You need to get the right amount of sleep if you want to remember everything that you need to remember about your day, your work, or the material that you will have to remember to do your job or to be a successful student.

— Dr. Joseph Switras provides clinical psychological services at United Health District in Fairmont to people age 5 and up.