Do learning tapes that you play in your sleep work?

Question

Im skeptical of these tapes/ cd's that you can buy which you play as you go to sleep, that claim you can learn things in your sleep.

The reason why im skeptical, is that when i sleep i can not hear and i was of the understanding when your go into a deep sleep your brain shuts down parts of the body not needed during sleep , like limbs, hearing ..

In the past when i have woke suddenly i have been shocked to find im completetly deaf- to which i was told was a normal thing when your woke up very suddenly

Answer 1

Sleep is a good time to review and rehearse what you've learned during the day, but not so good for learning new things because all your senses are closed.

Better to listen to those tapes just before bed.  Then you'll be thinking about them all during your sleep.

Answer 2

no, you absolutely CANNOT learn from tapes when you are sleeping.

Answer 3

Don't count on it.  Better to work hard at learning the old fashioned way.

Answer 4

Your scepticism is well founded. I asked this exact question of a couple of academics at my university (Birkbeck, University of London) & they both agreed that negligible information would be obtained or remembered especially during rem sleep & that hypnosis was a far more reliable method of obtaining/retaining information. I tried one of those cds myself once to help me quit smoking but it didn't work. A friend of mine recently tried polyphasic sleep which is sleeping 20-30 minutes every 4 hours to try & kick booze addiction - the interesting thing here is that he couldn't handle the sleeping routine & gave up after 3 weeks but he has stayed on the wagon.

Answer 5

I tried one to help me speak Spanish. I can now speak it fluently in my dreams bit can't string 2 f**king words together when I'm awake.

Answer 6

Learning while you sleep tapes wee very popular in the 70s & 80s.  A number of friends and I tried them for months.  Nothing happened except the tapes and listening apparatus were an annoyance.  Even the subliminal tapes were a hoax.  

Answer 7

There has never been any proof that they work. It's a myth that arose from popular culture.