A new study has come out suggesting that sleep boost the production of myelin, and that lack of sleep reduced it.

“So, what?” you might ask….

I wrote about myelin in a previous post titled Deliberate Practice, Myelin & The Brain.

Here’s an excerpt from that earlier post:

Myelin is white matter in the brain that forms layers that make nerve impulses faster and stronger (see the image at the top if this post), and which a number of researchers suggest increases learning. The amount of myelin and its density seems to increase through practice and makes what you are learning to do more automatic. The idea of deliberate practice comes in because we have to ensure that myelin forms to increase and strengthen the right impulses — if we keep on practicing something the wrong way, then we’ll make the wrong actions automatic. In ESL, this problem is referred to as a fossilized error. Deliberate practice means continuous reflection to see if what we are doing is correct.

I’m adding this post to The Best Resources For Helping Teens Learn About The Importance Of Sleep.