Sleeping with an eye mask improves memory



A paper has been published that wearing an eye mask while sleeping improves memory. It seems that by blocking the light entering the eyes during sleep, it is possible to increase

the slow-wave sleep time, which is closely related to memory.

Wearing an eye mask during overnight sleep improves episodic learning and alertness | SLEEP | Oxford Academic
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/advance-article/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsac305/6912219

Wearing an Eye Mask While You Sleep Could Have Surprising Mental Benefits : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/wearing-an-eye-mask-while-you-sleep-could-have-surprising-mental-benefits

A team of researchers belonging to research institutes in the United Kingdom, Italy and the United States has published a new paper showing the relationship between light and sleep. 'Environmental light can affect the structure and timing of sleep,' the paper states.

The research team investigated how wearing an eye mask to block light during sleep at night affects memory and attention. In the first experiment, 89 adults aged 18 to 35 were subjected to a word association test to measure the ability to recall past events and experiences and a test to measure reaction speed. After that, they were asked to wear an eye mask at bedtime for a week. After that, when the word association test and reaction speed test were performed again, it became clear that wearing an eye mask and sleeping improved performance in both the word association test (memory test) and the reaction speed test. I'm here.

In a second experiment, 33 adults between the ages of 18 and 35 were placed in their bedrooms with devices that measured light intensity, and wore wearable headbands to measure brain activity during sleep. I had it installed. In addition, we set the day when the subject wore an eye mask and went to sleep, and the day when he wore an eye mask with holes around the eyes (an eye mask that cannot block light) and went to sleep.



As a result of conducting a word association test in the same way as the first test under this condition, it became clear that ``wearing an eye mask and sleeping'' is useful for learning new information and forming fresh memories. . In addition, EEG data measured with a headband revealed that sleeping with an eye mask was associated with an increase in slow-wave sleep duration, which is believed to play an important role in enhancing memory. has become

The research team said, ``It was predicted that sleeping with an eye mask would have some benefit on memory due to the increase in slow-wave sleep time when wearing an eye mask. suggesting that wearing is an effective, economical, non-invasive behavior that may also benefit cognitive function.'

In addition, when a questionnaire survey was conducted on the subjects, it was clarified that wearing an eye mask did not affect the timing of sleep or sleep time. It has also been found to be unlikely to have had an impact.



The research team said, ``Given the fact that some people rely on life hacking, sleep monitoring, and cognitive enhancers, our findings suggest that wearing an eye mask is a simple and economical way to get more out of your night's sleep. suggesting that it is an effective and non-invasive method.”

``Since many of our daily tasks require attention and memory, I think it's worth incorporating 'wearing an eye mask when sleeping' into your night routine,' said ScienceAlert, a scientific media. .

in Science, Posted by logu_ii