This week I am “on break” from The Prepared Expat as I practice intentional rest and vacation with my family, but I don’t want to leave you hanging without something to read to help you survive and thrive as an expat! Welcome to “Throwback Friday,” where this week (and next) I’ll re-share a timeless article I’ve previously written with some extra comments.
Today’s Throwback article is Pillow Talk: How Sleep Solidifies Language Learning. I wrote this article half a year ago and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many folks have read and shared it. I suspect the reason is because, when we think about learning about language and culture, we usually resort to language theories (the input hypothesis, the affective filter, etc.) or we start talking about tactics (flash cards, textbooks, memory techniques, etc.).
I have NEVER yet seen a single language textbook or second language acquisition theory book that discussed the role of sleep in learning a language. Given the critical importance of sleep in the brain’s ability to learn a language, such an absence is shocking. It would be like trying to race in F1 without gasoline or trying to win an Olympic gold in high bars without chalk.
You can’t learn a language without sleeping well.
Dig into the research of why this is the case and make a sleep plan to enable your language and culture acquisition to take place!
“Practice does not make perfect. It is practice, followed by a night of sleep, that leads to perfection.”
Dr. Matthew Walker, sleep researcher at UCLA-Berkely, in his book Why We Sleep, page 126
Read the article here: Pillow Talk: How Sleep Solidifies Language Learning.
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