In keeping with our recent theme of mental health, let us advise you to stop reading this and go have a nap. No, really. Sleep is one of the very best things that you can do for yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. And sadly it is frequently sacrificed in our fast-paced world. We will talk more about why sleep is important for cognition in an upcoming blog post, but for now we’ve put together a series of resources that talk about the importance of sleep for learning, and well, life.

1) Sleep by HelpGuide.org

If you or someone you know are not yet convinced that sleep is important, please click on the How Much Sleep Do You Need? link. Here you will find a long list of why sleep is so important, including for protecting against emotional and cognitive problems, and even weight gain! Other links include helpful ideas about how to get a good night’s sleep if this is a problem for you, and lots of other valuable information.

2) Sleep on it! Why you'll learn better with good sleep by BrainScape

This blog post actually summarizes 4 other articles that all talk about the importance of sleep for learning, including the effect on future planning, remembering facts, and the hazards of sleep deprivation. Note that we are only directing you to the blog post and have not evaluated the product being sold by BrainScape.

3) Sleep helps learning, memory by Dr. Harvey B. Simon

This Harvard Health Blog post summarizes several different research studies, but focuses on the cognitive benefits of napping! That’s right, if you can’t catch your z’s at night, you can still reap some benefits by snoozing under your desk…

4) Memory and its relationship to sleep by Dr. Michael J. Breus, @thesleepdoctor

Here you will find an excellent summary of the various ways in which sleep aids memory as well as some concrete suggestions for improving your sleep quality.

5) Sleep on it by Dr. Simon J. Makin, @SimonMakin

In this Scientific American piece, you will find an explanation of the neuroscience behind sleep-related memory enefits, and descriptions of complicated research studies on the topic.

Every Sunday, we pick a theme and provide a curated list of links. If you have a theme suggestion, please don’t hesitate to contact us! Our 5 most recent digests can be found here:

Weekly Digest #12: How To Make Standardized Testing Better

Weekly Digest #13: How Teachers Implement Retrieval in their Classrooms

Weekly Digest #14: How To Encourage Students To Transfer Their Knowledge

Weekly Digest #15: Working Out What Works - Highlights From ResearchED Maths & Science

Weekly Digest #16: On the Importance of Taking Breaks