The Better You Sleep, The More You Forget (But Wait — That's A Good Thing)

Apparently, it's not that a lack of sleep impairs your ability to remember—according to neurologist and Alzheimer's researcher Scott Small, M.D., a lack of sleep actually creates "too much memory." This, as a result, can crowd your brain space and make it easier for the important stuff to slip through the cracks, thus harping on your memory. Small explains the phenomenon below. 

When people don't get enough quality sleep, their brains are unable to crop these extra memories and hold on to only the important stuff—which is why lack of sleep has been associated with suboptimal working memory1. "Their brains are static with information," says Small. "They can't think clearly." 

The theory makes sense: Sleep is crucial for rejuvenating all the cells in your body and giving them a chance to repair themselves; it's only fitting that time spent dreaming could also help fine-tune your memories. To help enhance your snooze, we suggest taking a peek at our master list of quality sleep tips: the right temperature, sleep schedule, and even bedtime snacks can all make a difference.  

That's why we chose magnesium to star in our sleep support+ supplement, a formula that includes 120 mg of magnesium bisglycinate (a highly absorbable and gentle form of the mineral) as well as other sleep promoters like jujube seed extract and PharmaGABA®, to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed.* Which, in turn, can help you trim down those unnecessary memories taking up brain space.  

Sleep is crucial for a number of functions in your body, one of which is to help trim down your memories. We know from research that a good night's sleep is important for supporting memory and learning, but Small gives us a glimpse into the specific mechanisms why. The bottom line? Memory has a sweet spot; you don't want to hold on to so much info that it overcrowds your psyche, and sleep plays a significant role in the cleanup.