The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Memory

The study of the complex relationship between memory and sleep shows there is a direct correlation between our quantity of sleep and the quality of our memory. Lack of sleep results in sleep deprivation, which causes cognitive impairment. Memory skills are directly affected by sleep deprivation, which manifests as difficulty focusing, impaired retention of information, slower reaction time and can even affect speech.

Focus

• The brain requires rest to function properly. Prolonged sleep deprivation prevents the brain from resting and rebuilding. When you're tired, even the simplest tasks become difficult, which means your brain is forced to work harder. It becomes difficult to complete a single task, let alone multiple tasks at once. The pathways in the brain struggle to process the information, resulting in a challenge with focusing.

Retention of Information

• If a sleep-deprived person is able to overcome the problem of limited focus, it can still prove challenging to retain information. The brain requires sleep to effectively store the information you learn during the day. The retention of information occurs shortly after you fall asleep. Even a short nap can aid with retaining information, because the brain can process facts and store them properly.

Reaction Time

• When the brain is not performing at its best as a result of sleep deprivation, reaction time can be hindered. When the brain is sleep deprived, it's not able to process information and react as quickly as when a subject is well-rested. When students are required to perform tasks quickly and accurately, recalling information they've learned and reacting appropriately proves difficult, since the brain is not performing optimally.

Speech

• When the areas of the brain associated with speech are taxed as a result of sleep deprivation, the quality of speech is affected. Your brain has difficulty recalling complex or imaginative words when you are sleep deprived. Simple phrases are often used and repeated in a manner that would not happen if you were well rested. Speech can be slurred, delivered in a mono-tone or you may speak more slowly than usual.