Sleep and Memory

For a long time, sleep was regarded as a period when the brain simply switched off.

长期以来，人们认为睡眠只是大脑单纯关闭的时期。

Research now shows that it is remarkably active throughout the night.

如今的研究表明，大脑在整个夜晚都异常活跃。

During deep sleep, the brain appears to replay and strengthen memories formed during the day.

在深度睡眠期间，大脑似乎会重放并强化白天形成的记忆。

Information is gradually transferred from short-term to long-term storage.

信息会逐渐从短期存储转移到长期存储。

Dreaming may also help us process emotions and connect unrelated ideas.

做梦也可能帮助我们处理情绪，并把毫不相关的想法联系起来。

This could explain why solutions to problems sometimes appear after a good night's rest.

这或许能解释，为什么问题的解决办法有时会在好好睡一觉之后出现。

Conversely, a lack of sleep impairs both learning and decision-making.

反之，睡眠不足会损害学习能力和决策能力。

Students who stay up all night before an exam may therefore be undermining their efforts.

因此，考试前通宵熬夜的学生，可能反而削弱了自己的努力。

Protecting sleep is one of the simplest ways to improve how well we learn.

保护好睡眠，是提高学习效果最简单的方法之一。