Learn while you sleep?

A new study has found that you may be able to learn a skill while you sleep.

Researchers from Northwestern University builds on existing evidence that memory can be reactivated during sleep. They found that learning a piece of music whilst awake, then playing it whilst participants were asleep, reinforced the participants knowledge of it. So can you learn a language whilst you sleep?

The age-old myth that you can learn a foreign language while you sleep is sure to come to mind, said Paul J. Reber, associate professor of psychology at Northwestern and a co-author of the study.

“The critical difference is that our research shows that memory is strengthened for something you’ve already learned,” Reber said. “Rather than learning something new in your sleep, we’re talking about enhancing an existing memory by re-activating information recently acquired.” (Source: Science Daily)

So perhaps it’s better to take record your language class, then play it back whilst you take a nap. Sounds good to me!