What do you think about this?
Have any of you tried this method?
”TMR, or Targeted Memory Reactivation, is a memory technique that uses sensory cues, like a specific sound or smell, to reactivate and strengthen memories during sleep.”
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I don’t have the expertise to be informative, but if you are asking for opinions…
First I’d like to spare people the trouble of googling it: Targeted Memory Reactivation During Sleep Improves Next-Day Problem Solving - PMC.
Second, no I have not tried this method, because even if I was aware of it, implementing it at home seems like a lot of trouble.
Finally, I have doubts about it affecting sleep quality. I sometimes fall asleep while listening to music or some other informational noise, and I always have to wake up in the middle of the night to turn it off. I think you should sleep in a quiet or white noisy environment to rest well.
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I remember the time where it was trendy to fall asleep listening to vocabulary so that you would learn language in your sleep. Oh the hopes the students had!
Didn’t really work as far as I can tell. Except arousing you instead of going to sleep if you pay attention.
More recently I’ve tried listening to podcasts in bed (with a timer) when I feel tired but not sleepy.
It does a good job distracting me a bit so that I don’t get annoyed being in bed without falling asleep even if I’m tired.
But there’s no point for learning/thinking as far as I can tell. Looking at what I “listened” in the history, well I am usually not even able to tell which podcast has been on.
In fact listening to podcasts even keeps me awake if it’s something interesting and I think “I should remember that” but I know I won’t and I’m frantically trying to take mental notes.
So I don’t put much hope in this kind of method.
I mean even if you want to go in diffused thinking mode, you have to stop consciously thinking about it first by doing something physical, not “priming your brain”. Let it do its job as it knows to do, so to speak.
I think the “solving in your sleep” (or “let’s just sleep on it, it will be clearer in the morning”) is the common sense to stop trying when you’re stuck (potentially annoyed) and take a break, do something relaxing (which allows diffused thinking) so that you come back with new ideas. Which is proven to work. Going for a walk usually works wonders.
And then if it was late the next work session happens to be in the morning but it doesn’t mean you did it in your sleep necessarily.
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