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As many of our readers are enjoying a well-deserved summer break, Donders Wonders writers will also be taking a short holiday pause. Instead of bringing you a new blog this week, we would like to shine a spotlight on another wonderful initiative: BrainHelpDesk. Curious about the brain? BrainHelpDesk connects your questions with neuroscience experts who provide clear, accessible, and scientifically grounded answers.
Short answer
Sometimes, but mostly no. Healthy sleep is essential for memory! Whether memory can be influenced externally during sleep is a hot topic of research. There is no evidence that completely new information can be memorized during sleep. It may be possible however to reinforce the memory of something that was already learned before falling asleep. But beware: trying to memorize something as complex as an entire text during sleep might not be effective and can disturb your sleep.
Long answer
This is only the short answer. You can read the full explanation on BrainHelpDesk and explore many more fascinating questions about the brain at BrainHelpDesk:
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