Learn new information in 5 minutes in a dream - is it possible? All about sleep learning

What is sleep and how does it affect memory? According to the definition of the great Russian physiologist I.P. Pavlov, sleep is a special state in which the cerebral cortex is inhibited. The process of inhibition not only occurs in the cortex, but also extends to the underlying departments. Just a few decades ago, scientists were convinced that the assimilation of information during sleep would soon replace all existing forms of education, schools, institutes and universities would be left in the past. What is hypnopedia? And does remembering in a dream really have a future?

Hypnopedia - learning based on sleep phases

To understand whether it is possible to learn any information in 5 minutes in a dream, first consider the main features of sleep. Researchers distinguish two of its types - slow and fast. In the slow sleep phase, the spent energy resources of the body are restored. REM sleep is also called paradoxical sleep. For all physiological indicators, it resembles the state of wakefulness. These two phases alternate each other, while the full cycle is about 2 hours. REM sleep accounts for about 20 minutes of all this time.

Every student or schoolboy would be happy to learn in 5 minutes in a dream material that is difficult to remember while awake. Therefore, so many pupils and students would like to try this method for themselves. What does the mysterious word "hypnopedia" mean? The term refers to any kind of sleep learning. This is therapeutic hypnosis, various suggestions for the correction of mental processes, as well as the acquisition of new skills in an unconscious state. For sleep learning to be successful, the suggested information must not be forgotten after waking up.

Remember with scent

However, if a complex formula or a list of foreign words cannot be learned in 5 minutes in a dream, then it is still possible to significantly increase the assimilation of the material. Now there are several methods that allow you to better remember information through a soft effect on a person during sleep. One of them is called the aromamethod. Scientists from Germany have found that the smell felt in a dream contributes to better memorization. If during sleep a person hears the same aroma that he inhaled while working on information in the waking state, then the facts learned during the day will be absorbed by memory more firmly. This phenomenon is explained by the peculiarities of the work of hippocampal neurons during sleep (recall that the hippocampus is the part of the brain that is responsible for the assimilation and consolidation of information, transferring it to long-term memory).

What do the scientists say?

Sleep learning has long been of interest to representatives of various fields, starting with science fiction writers. Now it is believed that this type of memorization of information is especially effective for mastering various formulas, words of a foreign language, as well as strictly specialized information. However, lovers of easy ways will be disappointed, because it will not be possible to learn Pushkin's poem or the Tax Code in 5 minutes in a dream. Scientists came to a disappointing conclusion: this method is only suitable for consolidating what has already been learned in the process of wakefulness.

As a result of some studies, it was found that in a dream a person can really remember this or that information. However, in reality, it is not possible to prove that he had not heard of her before. Other studies, during which the subjects played tapes with information only during sleep, also showed the inconsistency of this method. When they woke up, the subjects did not remember anything.

At the same time, even for better consolidation of the facts remembered during wakefulness, it is necessary that they be repeatedly demonstrated during REM sleep. Therefore, this memorization method cannot be carried out with reliable accuracy at home.

Science or profit?

That is why hypnopedia for learning English is another way to make money from knowingly false representations. It is impossible to learn a foreign language from scratch, as well as to master any other skill, only during sleep. Hypnopedia can only be used to reinforce the acquired knowledge. It is impossible to learn a verse in 5 minutes in a dream. To facilitate memorization, it is better to use the method that our grandmothers advised: try to remember a poem during the day, and read it before going to bed without making any effort to memorize. Usually, in the morning, a student who has applied this method finds that the information has been absorbed well and firmly.

Another way to remember

Some scientists believe that in order to consolidate the facts learned during wakefulness, it is necessary to present information repeatedly not during REM sleep, but during periods of the greatest susceptibility of memory. This is fifteen minutes before going to bed, the first hour after falling asleep, and also thirty minutes before waking up. It should be noted that the presentation of information according to this method in no way excludes work on memorization during the daytime hours.