“Smart Forgetting”: Do You Lose Brain Connections While You Sleep?
In recent news, it has come to light that there are actually limits to the connections our brain can make over a lifetime of remembering new experiences, keeping track of things like who you had coffee with two years ago on a vacation, even where you met someone. As you learn, grow, and form new memories “some of your neurons become more strongly connected. The sites where they meet, known as synapses, become larger and more numerous, and an electrical signal in one of the neurons more easily triggers a signal in another. This is how we learn and store memories, in the changing strengths of our synapses,” explains The Atlantic.
Apparently, according to recent studies, there is a limit to this process.
Chiara Cirelli from the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed a theory about the brain’s shrinking connections in 2003. While some theorize that the brain cleans itself out during sleep by renewing cells and removing toxins. Some theories claim that the brain consolidates memories of the entire day while you sleep.
However, “In recent years, there’s been evidence that sleep is important not just for remembering relevant stuff, but also for forgetting irrelevant things,” says Cirelli. Perhaps the mass-downscaling of synapses is part of that ‘smart forgetting.’ “If you think about how many details there are in your life, you’d better forget!”
So, maybe there is some theory into leaving your problems at the door…
No matter which theory you believe, healthy sleep is important for brain functions and helping you recover from the day no matter how amazing or full of new connections it was!
Want to know more about sleep news and get the latest tips and tricks on sleeping healthy? Check out https://nusleepbedding.com/ and the blog “Holy Sheets!” for real life advice and the latest trends on all things sleeping.
- Romell Bhaala
