Sleep Provides 'Remarkable Effects' On Protecting Our Memories, Says Rebecca Spencer

Sleeping provides memory benefits for people of all ages, research shows.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

February 26, 2020

Updated July 03, 2023

Rebecca Spencer, professor of psychological and brain sciences at UMass Amherst, joined Boston Public Radio on Wednesday to discuss her role in NOVA's newest special Mysteries of Sleep.

Sleeping has many health benefits and helps protect our memories, she said.

"What happens during the time that you're asleep is that your memories are put on replay and by replaying those memories, you're going to have a memory benefit," Spencer said. "We see pretty remarkable effects that following sleep you've protected the memory versus when you stay awake, what happens is a lot of decay of that memory."

NOVA's new special Mysteries of Sleep airs tonight at 9pm on WGBH-2.