Things to Do After You Study
2020-06-03
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1Many students study with little thought about what comes after their study session.
2But what you do after studying could have an effect on how well you learn and remember new information.
3Today on Education Tips, we will explore two no-cost ways that can help you improve your learning: wakeful rest and sleep.
4When many students finish studying, they often go straight to another activity.
5Perhaps they look at their phone or computer.
6They might even play a video game or watch television.
7But research suggests that resting after you study may help you remember what you studied.
8The basic idea is this: by reducing your activity after the study session, your brain gets a chance to rest.
9Resting is difficult when you have too much stimulation from electronic devices, games, lights and so on.
10While this might sound unusual to you, many studies have explored the benefits of resting after learning - what is called "wakeful rest."
11A study published in the Journal PLOS One examined how well older people who were in good health could remember certain words.
12In two different experiments, researchers found that older adults who rested for 10 minutes after learning new words had better memory of those words.
13"A period of wakeful rest immediately after new learning boosts free recall of verbal material," the researchers wrote.
14The results were strong even after seven days, they added.
15A 2019 study found that both young and older adults were able to better remember, or recollect, information from prose passages after doing wakeful rest.
16The findings appeared in Neuroscience Letters.
17This study involved 45 younger people and 40 elderly adults.
18"Wakeful resting led to higher overall recollection in both age groups," the researchers noted.
19If you want to give "wakeful rest" a try, here are a few simple things to do.
20Rest quietly for five to ten minutes.
21Do not look at your phone, read stories or play games.
22Just limit the amount of stimulation you get. It is really that easy!
23In addition to wakeful rest, sleep is also important for learning.
24The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School notes that sleep helps people to learn in two ways.
25A report on the school's website explains that "a sleep-deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and therefore cannot learn efficiently."
26It also says, "sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which is essential for learning new information."
27Robert Stickgold is a doctor and sleep expert at Harvard Medical School.
28Speaking with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, or NIH, he noted that new memories can be hard to keep.
29"When we first form memories, they're in a very raw and fragile form," he said.
30Sleep is important for forming memories.
31Stickgold told the NIH "you get very little benefit from cutting corners."
32The National Sleep Foundation suggests that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day.
33Teenagers may need slightly more, and people over the age of 65 may need a little less.
34Now you have two suggestions for how to learn new information.
35Try to get some "wakeful rest" after a study session.
36Then try to get a good night's sleep.
37That's it - a simple, no-cost way to help you remember what you learn.
38You can include the ideas we discussed today with ideas we explored in other Education Tips stories.
39On those programs, we discussed what you can do before and during a study session to improve your learning.
40I'm John Russell.
1Many students study with little thought about what comes after their study session. 2But what you do after studying could have an effect on how well you learn and remember new information. 3Today on Education Tips, we will explore two no-cost ways that can help you improve your learning: wakeful rest and sleep. 4Wakeful rest 5When many students finish studying, they often go straight to another activity. Perhaps they look at their phone or computer. They might even play a video game or watch television. 6But research suggests that resting after you study may help you remember what you studied. 7The basic idea is this: by reducing your activity after the study session, your brain gets a chance to rest. Resting is difficult when you have too much stimulation from electronic devices, games, lights and so on. 8While this might sound unusual to you, many studies have explored the benefits of resting after learning - what is called "wakeful rest." 9A study published in the Journal PLOS One examined how well older people who were in good health could remember certain words. In two different experiments, researchers found that older adults who rested for 10 minutes after learning new words had better memory of those words. "A period of wakeful rest immediately after new learning boosts free recall of verbal material," the researchers wrote. 10The results were strong even after seven days, they added. 11A 2019 study found that both young and older adults were able to better remember, or recollect, information from prose passages after doing wakeful rest. The findings appeared in Neuroscience Letters. 12This study involved 45 younger people and 40 elderly adults. 13"Wakeful resting led to higher overall recollection in both age groups," the researchers noted. 14If you want to give "wakeful rest" a try, here are a few simple things to do. Rest quietly for five to ten minutes. Do not look at your phone, read stories or play games. Just limit the amount of stimulation you get. It is really that easy! 15Sleep 16In addition to wakeful rest, sleep is also important for learning. 17The Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School notes that sleep helps people to learn in two ways. A report on the school's website explains that "a sleep-deprived person cannot focus attention optimally and therefore cannot learn efficiently." It also says, "sleep itself has a role in the consolidation of memory, which is essential for learning new information." 18Robert Stickgold is a doctor and sleep expert at Harvard Medical School. Speaking with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, or NIH, he noted that new memories can be hard to keep. "When we first form memories, they're in a very raw and fragile form," he said. 19Sleep is important for forming memories. Stickgold told the NIH "you get very little benefit from cutting corners." 20The National Sleep Foundation suggests that adults between the ages of 18 and 64 get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per day. Teenagers may need slightly more, and people over the age of 65 may need a little less. 21Closing thoughts 22Now you have two suggestions for how to learn new information. 23Try to get some "wakeful rest" after a study session. Then try to get a good night's sleep. 24That's it - a simple, no-cost way to help you remember what you learn. 25You can include the ideas we discussed today with ideas we explored in other Education Tips stories. On those programs, we discussed what you can do before and during a study session to improve your learning. 26I'm John Russell. 27John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 28________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30session - n. a period of time that is used to do a particular activity 31stimulation - n. the action of fueling interest or activity in the body 32benefit - n. a good effect or profit gained from something 33boost - v. to increase or improve 34prose - n. written or spoken language in its most simple form 35focus - v. to cause (something, such as attention) to be directed at something specific - + on 36optimally - adv. formal: best or most effective 37consolidation - n. the act of making something stronger or more secure 38fragile - adj. not strong 39We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.