This Sleep Secret Makes A Huge Difference For Your Memory, Study Finds

We all know that sleep serves a number of functions for our bodies, our minds, and our overall well-being. One of those functions is memory consolidation—and according to research published in the journal Nature1, those memories get consolidated, in part, thanks to our breath.

Here’s what to know.

Studying sleep, breath & memory

Previous research has shown that sleep affects memory and, further, that slow oscillations and spindles in the brain are what encourage memory retention. So for this study, researchers wanted to better understand the rhythms of those slow oscillations and sleep spindles (both of which occur during stage 2 sleep, or “light sleep,” which makes up 50% of our time sleeping).

Over the course of two sessions, they had participants look at 120 different images that were all associated with different words, followed by a ~two-hour nap in a sleep lab.

While they were both looking at images and sleeping, brain activity and breathing rate were monitored. Once they woke up from their respective naps, participants had to try to remember the word associations of the images.

And fascinatingly enough, there was a strong link between breathing and the reactivation of memories, with results indicating that unhealthy breathing could have a negative impact on memory, and vice versa, quality breathing could be beneficial for memory.

Their findings showed that slow oscillations, spindles, and their interactions increase toward the peak of inhalation peak and, further, that the strength of respiration also plays a role.

And given that aging populations are more likely to experience breathing disorders and sleep difficulty, this research could help explain some of the factors at play there, as well.

“Sleep-related breathing disturbances are very common in older adults, with the severity of symptoms accelerating with age. Hence, these breathing-related changes closely parallel developmental changes in the precision of SO-spindle coupling,” the study authors write.

What to do about it

Whether you want to improve your memory or simply sleep more soundly at night, making sure you’re breathing properly appears to be a big part of the equation.

As study co-author Thomas Schreiner, Ph.D., explains in a news release, “Our results show that our breathing and the emergence of characteristic slow oscillation and spindle patterns are linked. That is to say, our breathing influences how memories are consolidated during sleep.”

So if you’re wondering how to breathe better at night, here are our top tips:

The takeaway

Whether you’re 25 or 85, we all need quality sleep; moreover, we need it to retain our most important memories and feel our best. So if there’s one aspect of sleep to make sure you’re getting right, it’s that you can breathe comfortably, deeply, and easily through your nose all night long.

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