A study shows we could learn vocabulary while we are asleep. This is great news for students trying to learn a new language or increase their knowledge of words. Researchers in Switzerland showed that it is possible to learn new information while sleeping deeply, and then recall this information when we need it later. The researchers did tests on whether or not a person can remember new words and their translations while they were asleep. The researchers said our sleeping brain is much more aware of the outside world than we thought.
A researcher said, "language areas of the brain and the...brain's essential memory hub were activated" after a person woke up. These areas of the brain remember vocabulary during deep sleep. During deep sleep, our brain is active for about half a second. It then enters a period of inactivity. The active state is called "up-state" and the inactive state is called "down-state." The "up-state" period is when our brain could learn new vocabulary. The researchers say more research is needed to be 100 per cent sure that we can learn vocabulary while asleep.