I found a website with a host of links on this subject: http://www.sleeping-...ng-research.htm
Also found this in a newsgroup that is interesting:
What is hypnopedia? It isn't memorizing how to subnet while
under hypnosis, although this is not far off the mark.
Hypnopedia, better known as sleep learning, is the process
of introducing information into the brain while sleeping.
Unlike the old joke about placing a textbook under your
pillow so that the material seeps up into your head in time
for the next day's exam, hypnopedia involves playing audio
lessons while you are sleeping.
The concept of hypnopedia has been around for decades.
Aldous Huxley incorporated it into his 1932 novel “Brave
New World”, where sleep learning was used to teach morality
to people. In the late 1930's sleep learning became
something of a craze, as manufacturers sold phonograph
records meant to teach people foreign languages while they
slept. Since then, scientists around the world have been
studying the credibility and effectiveness of sleep learning.
The theoretical basis of hypnopedia is that when we are in
bed at night, there is a state when we are not fully awake
or fully asleep. During this state, some scientists believe
that the human mind is “capable of learning certain things
more efficiently and painlessly than during the day, when
logical and analytical faculties are in control”.
Does sleep learning actually work? You'd be hard pressed to
find a consensus on this question. Based on most of the
information found on the Net, the scientific community seems
to be split on the effectiveness of hypnopedia.
What they do agree on, however, is that sleep is extremely
important to the learning process. Several studies have
concluded that cheating yourself of even one night's sleep
can impede your ability to learn and retain knowledge.
As one article states:
"Sleep isn't just a form of rest. Sleep plays a critical
physiological function, and is indispensable for your
intellectual development. Those who do not respect
their sleep are not likely to live to their full mental
potential.”
If you are thinking about trying out sleep learning, here
are some things to ‘keep in mind' (pun intended):
1) Set your tape or CD player to an appropriate volume. The
words should be audible, but not so loud that they keep
you awake. Remember, you're supposed to be learning while
sleeping, not learning while fitfully trying to get to sleep.
2) Some studies indicate that the best audio materials to use
are those recorded in a ‘question and answer' format, as
opposed to a ‘lecture' format.
3) Since evidence suggests that sleep learning works best in
the period when you are falling asleep, it probably isn't
necessary to setup the tape/CD so that it plays all night.
In fact, playing the audio lessons all night may affect
your ability to reach certain important stages of sleep.
Remember that sleep learning is not a substitute for studying
or hands-on experience. There is no quick and easy way to a
certification. But, sleep learning may possibly be a
constructive tool to incorporate into your study plan.
Has anyone tried this type of learning? Since you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping, it would be interesting to see if it could work. [sfty]
http://groups.yahoo....ge/808?source=1
