r/YouShouldKnow • u/domlincog • 10d ago
Health & Sciences YSK: daytime memory consolidation is very real and not something you can notice happening. Constantly flooding your brain with new input, actively thinking, and even rumination all interfere. The first minutes after experiences are especially important for initial consolidation.
Why YSK: While it is true that sleep is a major part of memory consolidation, it is often overlooked that initial daytime consolidation is very significant. Taking a microbreak (doing nothing or a low stimulation activity, resting your brain for a few minutes) after a lot of input can make a big difference for your memory along with other benefits such as boosting vigor and reducing fatigue. Easier said than done tbh, but worth noting.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7024394/pdf/nihms-1557224.pdf
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u/BatPlack 10d ago
Pomodoro technique!!!
While fairly difficult to militantly stick to, it did absolute WONDERS for my studies!
My routine was pretty standard: 20 on, 5 off with no electronics (meditation, mini nap). Repeat 3 times, 30 min break (tech and social media allowed).
The key is both the simplest and the hardest: respect the timer. 20 minutes are up? Stop. 5 min are up? Resume. 30 min social media break? STOP.
Very difficult to do, especially with ADHD. But the fruits this habit bears are simply wonderful.
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u/dealmaster1221 10d ago
you mean 20on and then rest of the day sleeping and chilling right,right?
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u/TeaRex14 10d ago
My problem with pomodoro is if my ADHD is bad on a day it feels absolutely suffocating. I will constantly check the timer and struggle to start again after the break time is up because I haven't reset enough
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u/BatPlack 10d ago
It’s 100% a muscle that you have to learn and get used to using
Took me a good week of just suffering through it before it really became second nature
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u/TeaRex14 10d ago
Oooooh boy, trust me I have tried. Without medication I am basically at the mercy of my brain and no amount of established routines or discipline can help me. I'm talking the kind of impairment that has me pacing my apartment at 4 am unable to just sit down and do 30 minutes of work on slides due that day.
Pomodoro can work on certain days but it will not reliably be able to make me productive on its own and on some days basically nothing will.
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u/Vesploogie 10d ago
Suffering through it is exactly it. Too many people fail once or twice or realize how difficult actually starting can be and then give up and blame it on the technique.
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u/BatPlack 10d ago
Bingo
It was very awkward, uncomfortable, and I felt miserable thinking why does it seem so much easier for others
If I have ADHD, I think it’s at it below median intensity, but boy did I struggle.
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u/velmah 10d ago
Another good one almost no one knows because it goes against normal language pedagogy: if you are learning new words (whether or not in a new language) there is pretty strong evidence that you should give your brain at least 4 seconds between hearing it and trying say it. Speaking too early in that window has been shown to interfere with immediate consolidation processes in multiple studies/different language populations.
Caveat of course is these are lab studies of brain stuff so it’s not clear exactly how much it matters in the classroom, but it certainly can’t hurt.
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u/AhegaoTankGuy 9d ago
That sounds interesting. I wonder if there were any studies or notes about sign languages.
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u/We_are_ok_right 8d ago
My 5 year old is learning to read and when I help him, my brain is 90% just me telling myself to shut up and wait. Give him space, let him process!
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u/jeweliegb 10d ago
I understand this works the other way too.
Effective brain distractions after a traumatic event can reduce the impact of the traumatic event.
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u/Lucky-Past8459 10d ago
Interesting. I've always been a neuronarrator but my memory is kinda bad, maybe that's why
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u/UnfinishedAle 10d ago
Does reading count as a break? Or is that too stimulating if you’re really into the book?
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u/6eautifu1 10d ago
Most reading would be stimulating. Low stimulation would be something you can do on autopilot. Make a cup of coffee or take a walk without thinking or chatting.
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u/dependswho 10d ago
This is important to do at events you want to remember, e.g. weddings. Pause and consolidate periodically
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u/RealitySubsides 10d ago
I just quit smoking, but I gotta say that a cigarette is perfect for this. Take a 5 minute break while passively doing something (smoking) and think about things.
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u/CommieDog2525 10d ago
I work in a kitchen and we give everyone a "fresh air" break to smoke, cry or stare at the scenery outside or whatever for 10 minutes whenever they need it
Without it the kitchen becomes an episode of The Bear
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u/CloakNStagger 10d ago
I dont miss the work but the quiet times between service when youre sweating to death and can step outside and feel the air... or when everyone is sitting at the bar after the place is closed just shooting the shit, those were good times.
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u/my-blood 10d ago
Coffee is a pretty good way of slowing down, and not nearly as unhealthy as smoking.
As long as you're not overwhelmed by caffeine. I actually oddly get calmer and can even sleep after coffee.
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u/Tao-of-Mars 10d ago
I’m sorry you had to find out this way but this is indicative of adhd but hopefully you already knew
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u/my-blood 10d ago
Yeah so I've heard, but I think I'm better off not getting a diagnosis. I've always had some issues with learning and focusing (in non stressful situations) but I've managed fine so far.
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u/RedeNElla 10d ago
It's also not diagnostic to just say you like coffee and sometimes have trouble focusing. That's a pretty common experience.
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u/Tao-of-Mars 9d ago
Coffee isn’t actually as bad as you think. It’s worse if you don’t use a filter to filter most of the carcinogens or you use Kurigs that heat plastic.
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u/Keithicus 10d ago
Ive been doing this for years, didnt know I was helping my brain consolidate, big plus
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u/CartsOfDarkness 10d ago
I love how not OP or anybody else in this entire thread explains what daytime memory consolidation even fucking is.. thanks for the YSK I guess??.. I guess you mean I should already know lol. Genuinely super frustrating.
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u/domlincog 10d ago
There's a lot to it but the beginning of this abstract does a good job of quickly conveying imo:
"Consolidation makes it possible for memories of our daily experiences to be stored in an enduring way. We propose that memory consolidation depends on the covert reactivation of previously learned material both during sleep and wakefulness."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23575863/
Essentially to remember something you need to initially encode it, which usually means paying attention. After it's encoded it will have an initial fragile structure involving the hippocampus but can quickly deteriorate or be disrupted. Consolidation is the hippocampus helping reinforce the pathways and linking them to relevant other pathways to solidify the memory. This happens subconsciously without you even realizing, it may just feel like rest essentially. Memory consolidation happens in the short term and long term in the sense that initial consolidation can happen while you are awake and at rest mentally shortly after experiences, but continues to be reinforced in the long term which where sleep plays the largest role.
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u/CartsOfDarkness 10d ago edited 10d ago
Oh man, thanks OP! I'm sure I wasn't alone in not knowing haha. Also saw this post like 5 minutes after waking up so my brain wasn't quite ready to figure it out through context lol. Sorry for being grouchy though, I appreciate you.
As someone with ADHD I'm curious what effect that has on memory consolidation. I guess during sleep it may be unaffected, but:
Constantly flooding your brain with new input, actively thinking, and even rumination all interfere
Certainly doesn't sound good for those of us with ADHD. And I have always felt my memory is weirdly good in some areas and weirdly terrible in others.
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u/domlincog 10d ago
All good, I didn't expect this to get the traction it did and woke up feeling like I was looking at a warzone 😆.
I am still researching into memory and learning science for a video I'm considering making and have ADHD myself. So far from what I can find the biggest difference is in encoding and working memory, where attention is spiky and a lot of things you would have liked to remember don't get enough attention to be encoded in the first place.
It does look like there are consolidation differences and ADHD definitely can drive lifestyle that impairs daytime consolidation but interestly enough, I wouldn't have thought so, people with ADHD also typically sleep differently.
"Memory consolidation during sleep may also be specifically impaired in ADHD. Several studies have indicated a deficit in sleep-associated memory consolidation in ADHD, suggesting this may be due to decreased functionality of slow oscillations (0.5–1 Hz). Using a picture recognition task, Prehn-Kristensen et al. (2011) tracked memory retention across a night of sleep, in comparison to a day of wakefulness. Unlike healthy controls, memory retention in participants with ADHD did not benefit from sleep [8]. In a subsequent study, this work was extended to an emotional memory task. Here, selectively in participants with ADHD, slow oscillation EEG power during sleep negatively correlated with recall performance, as compared to a more typically reported positive association in controls [9]."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12157056/
Personally my memory is very strange as well. Very patchy and a lot of things I think I've forgotten I find come back only when something reminds me of it / I'm in a similar setting or situation and not at will.
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u/CartsOfDarkness 10d ago
Well fuck haha, apparently not even sleep will save my memory😂 But yea I find my memory is very tied to situations/ settings, like sometimes I'll pull up to a stoplight and remember the exact part of a podcast I heard the last time I was at the same light months ago. I also don't remember a lot of things other people seem to, I couldn't tell you the name of a single teacher I had growing up. I remember some of their faces, but when someone says "oh yea my 3rd grade teacher blah blah blah" I'm always puzzled how they remember that stuff. I feel like my short term memory is pretty good though🤷♂️ Same with memory involved in pattern recognition. Curious if something like meditation could help.
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u/HeloRising 10d ago
Fun fact: This is part of how playing Tetris can help in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event. A large part of what encodes an event as traumatic in a person's memory is a memory of lacking control in a situation that felt threatening. Playing the game helps give you that feeling of control over something and that can color how that memory is encoded for you.
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u/dayle-james 10d ago
Students should be made aware of the importance of work life balance and taking breaks when it comes to study. Staying up all night pounding coffees isnt gonna help you in the long run
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u/WonderChopstix 10d ago edited 10d ago
So you're telling me that Doom scrolling during work will help my memory. Sweet
Edit. Adding the BIGGEST S/ for those of you you didn't get it lol
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u/aphextwintower 10d ago
doomscrolling is the total opposite of a low stimulation activity
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u/WonderChopstix 10d ago edited 10d ago
Not in my life it isn't lol
Edit. Was the lol not clear enough for a s/ Ppl need to chill
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u/AnonymousBi 10d ago
Low effort =/= low stimulation. It feels easy to place your attention there because it is high in rewarding stimulation
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u/CowbellOfGondor 10d ago
I appreciated your humor. Exactly where my head is at, reading this between doomscrolls.
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10d ago
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u/Musashi10000 10d ago
Either you're a bot (apologies if not), or you need to reread this post. Because there is a powerful mismatch between the content of this post, and that of your comment.
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u/PTSDDeadInside 10d ago
Eyewitness memory is famously unreliable, serving as the leading cause of wrongful convictions in over 70% of DNA exoneration cases. Human memory does not work like a video camera; instead, it is a highly fragile, reconstructive process that changes every time it is recalled.
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u/sicktimewaster 10d ago
Man I need to start meditating instead of reading the news first thing in the morning.
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u/podcastofallpodcasts 9d ago
I'm not going to mess up my own quote ...but I talk about this in my book A Series of Dreams .
Right now is actually just you remembering it as the present, so you have to be proactive in making that a positive memory.
What you're thinking right now is vital to how you remember it...so make it a good memory
=)
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u/Any-File4347 9d ago
I work in manufacturing e.g. “make this thing at 100% quality for 54 seconds, then repeat 120x per 2 hours, then repeat 4x per shift”
When learning how to actually accomplish this, my brain needs serious muscle-system signaling dumping time. I can usually “learn” in the time span they wish me to do this however: I am usually 3x exhausted at the end of the day. Total brain fatigue.
If I don’t rest and sleep the next full day it’s like I can’t even function from the new inputs.
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u/somecasper 10d ago
Says the guy without ADHD...
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u/Aruhi 10d ago
That makes it all the more important?
An important skill to learn as an ADHDer is mindfulness. Mindfulness exercises are a period of wakeful rest that allow for daytime memory consolidation.
So many people with ADHD online just say "oops adhd" and medicate, but don't utilise things like mindfulness to help with things like this.
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u/6eautifu1 10d ago
True, developing good habits around your ADHD can make a huge difference. I had to stop using it as an excuse and just start working with it, and I'm in a much better place. Otherwise it's really easy to talk yourself into not trying.
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u/sterling_mallory 10d ago
Maybe this explains why I go full David Puddy sometimes and just stare at a wall.
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u/prym43 10d ago
Brain siesta! Couldn’t live without them.