Can You Learn A Language In Your Sleep?

Learning a language in your sleep sounds like the best thing ever but unfortunately it just isn’t possible.

At this time it’s just science fiction.

We all want that shortcut to language learning and there is a wide range of “learn while you sleep” type learning resources available, but sadly they are not effective.

The only way to learn a language is to be wide awake and put a lot of concious effort in.

Sleep Is Important For Learning A Language

We all know that sleep in general is really important for over all body function and just our general well-being. It is commonly said by gym users that you build muscles while you sleep, which is actually true.

BUT …you need to work out while you are awake to trigger this benefit in your sleep.

When you exercise you cause tears in the muscles, which the body repairs while you sleep. When the muscle repairs itself (while we are sleeping), it ends up being bigger and stronger than before.

This seems to be very similar for learning as well. You need to actively learn while you are awake, then when you go to sleep your brain processes and consolidates everything you’ve learned during the day.

It is like the brain takes the new information you have learned and then moves it from your short term memory into your long memory bank while you sleep. 

Studies all seem to agree on this and they have said that having a good amount of sleep either before or even after learning, seems to help with performance in general.

This means if you are learning a language, you need to be sleeping well. This is going to help you in the long run to reach your language goals.

(You can read more about – Active vs Passive Language Learning, What Is The Difference?)

Are Dreams and Language Learning Linked?

Dreams are strange but we can tell that our brains are consolidating our daytime experiences. Have you ever noticed that things that happen in your day or stuff you discuss can end up being in your dreams that night?

Since your brain is just processing everything that has happened during the day, it makes sense that it would also be processing the new language information you have learned that day.

However, dreams are not always about what has happened and can actually be about what is happening. Have you ever fallen asleep while you’re watching TV and you ended up having the weirdest dreams ever, where they are sort of linked to whatever you where listening to on the TV as you drift off?

This makes me think you are actually still listening to the outside world while you are asleep and it can affect what is happening in your brain.

I think this area needs more in depth study (by actual scientists) as there is clearly a link between dreams and what is going on around you as you sleep.

Although learning while you sleep isn’t possible now, perhaps we just don’t understand how to do it yet. Maybe with more study in this area it could be a possibility in the future and we could learn in our dreams. Its seems very sci-fi, but who knows what might happen in 100 years.

(You can read more about – Can You Learn A Language Through Lucid Dreaming?)

What Have Scientific Studies Shown So Far About Sleep And Language Learning?

Although we haven’t worked out how to learn while sleeping, there has been plenty of research on the topic and to be honest, the results are quite confusing.

There are plenty of studies where they test participants by teaching them things (not just languages) and then various other factors in the test are changed to see if there there is a change in their ability to recall what they learned.

There are also studies where they teach the participants while they are awake and again while they are asleep. 

Other experiments make participants do tests before and after sleep and they even have tried just teaching participants things when they are only asleep.

No one really has a solid idea of what is the best way to approach this topic and the results they have therefore gotten mixed results.

Why Are The Studies Not Great?

Some studies show zero correlation with learning while asleep and some show some an increase in ability.

The main issue with any of these studies is they all seem to have problems with their design and the method used to carry them out.

There is also a lot of debate about what sleep is. Some studies seem to use more of a waking state and others seem to be looking more at a full deep sleep state.

This makes the analysis of all this data very difficult and trying to come up with any statistical conclusions at this time is almost impossible.

I think there is more research to be had in this area before we can decisively say what works and what doesn’t. Although I am saying it is not possible to learn in your sleep, I still believe that we could potentially one day unlock how to do this.

What Are The Main Results Found So Far About Sleep And Language Learning?

There seems to be strong evidence at this point to suggest that you cannot learn anything new while asleep.

Your unconscious brain cannot compute new information.

You need to be alert and focused on the information to be able to process it and understand it. So learning a new language in your sleep is not possible.

However, there seems to be some mixed evidence that revising information you have already learned, while sleeping, may help you retain this better.

So potentially some sleep learning is possible, even if it is just reinforcing what you have already learned. This sort of mirrors the information we already know about the subconscious trying to consolidate information while we sleep. 

Problems With Trying To Learn A Language While Asleep

Even if we could work out how to effectively learn a language while asleep, there is still a huge issue that a lot of people would face.

Sleeping while listening to something can actually disrupt sleep. Whether it’s the audio itself or the feeling of the having the earphones on your head, sleeping while listening to something can be uncomfortable for some people.

As I’ve already said, it has been shown in numerous studies that good sleep is vital for over all function and wellbeing.

Learning while you sleep isn’t going to be very productive if it is negatively affecting your sleep. Imagine the sleep tape you are listening to actually keeps you awake. That wouldn’t be too good.

Now, this doesn’t affect everyone. I personally need some sort of noise to sleep. The sound of silence is just too much for me to bare.

So, for us noise lovers, there is nothing stopping us listening to those 8 hour long YouTube videos of someone just saying basic vocabulary over and over again.

I’ll be honest, I’ve tried it. I don’t think it did anything; apart from make me have some weird language dreams, which I guess was cool.

I would suggest you give it a go, but don’t expect much from it and if it wrecks you sleep, don’t do it again.

(You can read more about – The Importance Of Sleep When Learning A Language)

Conclusion

The only way to learn a language is to put the hard work in and learn it, while awake and consciously focusing on it. I know we all want the easy short cut but it simply doesn’t exist for learning.

Maybe one day we will work out how to learn a language in our sleep, and if we do, you can guarantee that I will be at the front of the queue to give it a go. 

Until then, why not read about the best ways to learn a language when awake