Researchers in Japan believe they may have discovered the most effective moment during the breathing cycle for memorising new information — while exhaling.
The finding comes from a study conducted by research teams from Hyogo Medical University Hospital and several other institutions, with the results expected to be published in a British scientific journal later this year.
The researchers investigated the relationship between breathing patterns and memory performance, concluding that information learned during exhalation may be recalled more quickly than information learned during inhalation.
While previous studies examining the link between memory and breathing had been conducted on mice, this marks one of the first attempts to explore the phenomenon in human subjects.
The study involved 30 participants whose breathing patterns were monitored using tubes inserted into their noses to measure airflow. Researchers then displayed 40 images of animals and plants at one-second intervals and later mixed them with unrelated images.
Participants were subsequently asked to identify which images had appeared in the original sequence from a total of 80 images shown.
According to the findings, participants responded more quickly when recalling images that had been memorised near the end of an exhalation compared to images learned at the beginning of an inhalation.
The fastest response times were also recorded while participants were actively exhaling.
Although researchers found no significant difference in overall accuracy rates, they suggested this may have been due to the relatively simple nature of the memory task.
Experts believe the findings could open new avenues for research into learning techniques and memory enhancement strategies.
The study also lends support to the common practice of speaking information aloud while studying. Because vocalising words naturally involves exhaling, researchers speculate that reading new vocabulary, formulas or facts aloud could help strengthen memory formation.
While more research is needed, the results suggest that something as simple as timing study sessions with breathing patterns could potentially improve learning efficiency.
For students preparing for exams or anyone trying to remember new information, researchers say paying attention to breathing may prove to be a surprisingly useful study tool.
