Learning Monologues at Bedtime Improves Sleep Quality in Actors and Non-Actors

Francesca Conte, Oreste De Rosa, Benedetta Albinni, Daniele Mango, Alessia Coppola, Serena Malloggi, Davide Giangrande, Fiorenza Giganti, Giuseppe Barbato and Gianluca Ficca
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Francesca Conte: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Oreste De Rosa: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Benedetta Albinni: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Daniele Mango: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Alessia Coppola: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Serena Malloggi: Department Neurofarba, University of Firenze, Via di San Salvi 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Davide Giangrande: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Fiorenza Giganti: Department Neurofarba, University of Firenze, Via di San Salvi 12, 50135 Firenze, Italy
Giuseppe Barbato: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Gianluca Ficca: Department of Psychology, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100 Caserta, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Several studies show that pre-sleep learning determines changes in subsequent sleep, including improvements of sleep quality. Our aims were to confirm this finding using a more ecological task (learning a theatrical monologue) and to investigate whether the effect is modulated by expertise. Using a mixed design, we compared polysomnographic recordings of baseline sleep (BL, 9-h TIB) to those of post-training sleep (TR, with the same TIB but preceded by the training session), in one group of actors ( N = 11) and one of non-actors ( N = 11). In both groups, TR appears reorganized and re-compacted by the learning session, as shown, among others, by a significant decrease of WASO%, awakenings, arousals, and state transitions and by a trend towards an increased number of complete cycles and total cycle time. Concerning memory performance, the number of synonyms produced was significantly higher in the morning relative to immediate recall. No between-groups differences emerged either for sleep or memory variables. Our data confirm pre-sleep learning’s beneficial effect on sleep quality in an ecological context. While expertise appears not to influence memory-related sleep mechanisms, results on morning recall support the recent view that sleep’s role in memory processes consists in trace “transformation” for adaptive purposes, rather than rote consolidation.

Keywords: ecological learning; sleep continuity; sleep stability; sleep organization; wake intensity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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