In his Science News Online article titled "Certain memories may rest on a good sleep", Bruce Bower reports on the need for sleep to consolidate procedural memory.
When practicing a musical piece, a gymnastics move, or any other activity that depends on effortless, virtually automatic execution, here's some memory-enhancing advice: If you snooze, you cruise.Procedural memory in school might take the form of learning cursive writing, tackling the steps of long division, or mastering a new musical piece on your recorder. It includes any number of things that involve remembering how to do things with your hands: tying shoes, knitting/crocheting and folding origami.
Mel Levine has long stressed that what you study right before going to sleep actually gets replayed several times while you are snoozing. Why not give it a try..at least don't keep yourself up worrying about it!
Warning to students: Do not try this at school...your teacher will not buy the excuse "I was consolidating my long division skills!"
photo by umjanedoan
occupational therapy connection - health and wellness
