Learning is possible during sleep, says study

French researchers have discovered that rehearsing simple word classifications up until the moment we nod off leads to the brain continuing such exercises during sleep.

“We show that the sleeping brain can be far more ‘active’ in sleep than one would think,” says Sid Kouider of Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. “Far from falling [into] a limbo when we fall asleep, parts of our brain can routinely process what is going on in our surroundings and apply a relevant scheme of response.”