Learning while sleeping is a myth.
Except, not entirely.
In fact, learning a language in your sleep might be possible, just not in the way you think it is.
Background
The idea of sleep learning, or hypnopedia, isn’t new. Actually, it began last century and gained steam in the 1960s.
This concept that there is a potential to learn things—for example, a foreign language, started then.
However, many scientists across the globe have studied if you can learn in your sleep—a language—and their findings have been inconclusive. In other words, they have no evidence to support their theory.
So, is it possible to learn English in your sleep? No. It’s a myth. A myth is when something is not true, but many have believed that it is true for a long time. It is not true that you can learn English in your sleep.
BUT…
You do learn English in your sleep, just not the way that you think.
Listen to my podcast titled “Finally, the Truth, Right? Learn English in Sleep & Dreams?” to learn more. Listen on Podbean to participate, or anywhere podcasts are available.
Why Can’t You Learn English in Your Sleep
Scientists are still studying this question. It may be because of the way your brain works to learn things. Also, it might be because of what your brain does when you sleep.
Here’s the thing.
Our brain is working when we are sleep. It’s helping strengthen connections within the brain to help you remember it later.
Since your brain is working to do this, it’s counterproductive to not allow it time and space to function as it is supposed to do.
If you can’t learn English, what else could you learn?
What Can You Learn in Your Sleep
Good question.
But the answer is still “scientists are currently studying this.” One researcher says that you can, others say that you can’t
Some have speculated that you can only learn certain things in your sleep, but only within certain sleep cycles.
There has been one widely talked about study from Cell and Cerebral Cortex that found that out of the two groups they tested to measure how much vocabulary the young adults learned in a second language, the one group that was allowed to sleep and listen to the vocabulary on headphones remembered the words better than the group that was taught it at the same time: at 10 P.M.
This might mean that you can learn vocabulary, but it’s still not 100% certain.
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Similarly, it may depend on which sleep cycle you are in when you are listening in your sleep. It could be about timing.
Is There An App to Learn English in Your Sleep?
There’s always an app. However, in this case, I didn’t find any available—at least not within the Apple Store in the U.S.
Sorry.
Takeaways
Science doesn’t prove that you can learn English in your sleep—It’s simply not possible. In our dreams we think we can learn English, but it’s not true—dream on.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t try.
It won’t hurt you to listen to English in your sleep. It just won’t help you.
How have you had success with learning English in your sleep?
Vocabulary
myth (n.)
hypnopedia (n.)
gained steam (idiom)
inconclusive (adj.)
counterproductive (adj.)
to speculate (v)
dream on (idiom)
Ashley Rhone is the owner and English Coach at Paradigm English as well as the host of the Living in English: 365 podcast. She has over 15 years of experience helping non-native English speakers overcome their 3 biggest challenges in English fluency: vocabulary, speaking, and listening. Read more about her here.