Located in western Massachusetts, UMass Amherst is the flagship campus of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' five-campus University of Massachusetts system. UMass Amherst is a nationally recognized teaching and research institution with a current enrollment of about 28,500 students.

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Contributions of memory and brain development to the bioregulation of naps and nap transitions in early childhood

Pandemic Sleep Advice Straight From Sleep Researchers

A leading expert on the of the relationship between sleep, memory and learning and how these change across the life span, Rebecca Spencer has appeared in media ranging from the New York Time to PBS, the BBC, Netflix and Glamour magazine.

She leads the Somneurolab at UMass Amherst, where her research team uses a variety of techniques to 
explore how the brain operates during sleep and how this processing affects daytime cognition.

Children and Napping

Napping

Sleep and Learning

Learning and Memory

Children and Sleep

Cognition

Sleep  Memory  and Learning

UMass Amherst Faculty Profile

Somneurolab

Here’s Exactly How To Become A Legit Morning Person

Rebecca Spencer

The Neuroscience of Naps

napping

Can a nap make up for a bad night of sleep?

Women are more likely to be sleep deprived. Here’s why that’s so bad.

Can a Nap Make Up for a Bad Night of Sleep?

Later school start times eyed to address youth mental health crisis

sleeping baby

How learning happens in the brains of sleeping babies

Yes, Naps Are Good for You — If You Do It Right

How to Fall Asleep Faster, According to Powerful Women

Naps don’t work for everyone. Genetic differences are why

NOVA: Mysteries of Sleep

Netflix: Babies

Netflix Series: Babies

Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Dr. Spencer, a neuroscientist who leads the Somneurolab at the University of Mass - Amherst, speaks at our 2019 Symposium on why children need sleep for more than you think. Sleep, including essential naps, helps children not only with their memory function but also processing their emotions. Her research proves the truth of the adage: it's always better to sleep on it. You can find all our speakers, including all of this year's women neuroscientists at https://rootsofempathy.org/symposia/

Rebecca Spencer lecture

Dr. Rebecca Spencer - Sleep on it!

Dr. Rebeca Spencer, assistant professor in the Psychology Department in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst, studies the impact of sleep on learning and its effect on memory as people age. Her recent findings—covered in scientific publications such as the Journal of Neuroscience and Journal of Sleep Research as well as in media such as The New York Times, USA Today, and O, The Oprah Magazine—include scientific substantiation of the old advice to "sleep on it" when trying to make a decision and not sleeping after a traumatic event can lessen its emotional impact. Part of the CNS Natures Faculty Lecture Series: http://www.cns.umass.edu/about/natures

Dr. Rebecca Spencer

Science On Screen® brings you to the Amherst Cinema in Amherst, MA for a screening of The Science of Sleep.

About the Speaker

Dr. Rebecca Spencer is an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at UMass, Amherst. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Purdue University and was a research fellow at UC Berkeley for five years before coming to UMass. Dr. Spencer studies the function of sleep, particularly how sleep contributes to cognitive abilities (memory, decision-making, emotion processing) across the lifespan.

Rebecca Sepncer presentation of "Why do we sleep?"

Why do we sleep?

In busy or stressful times, sleep is often the first thing to go, whether we like it or not - due to stress, physical illness, or unhelpful habits. Dr. Rebecca Spencer, a professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, speaks to NewsPoint360 about how to assess how much sleep you actually need, how bad screen time before bed really is for your sleep patterns,  and how we can all rest a little bit easier at night.

Learn more about Rebecca Spencer's expertise and media appearances here:
https://expertfile.com/experts/rebecca.spencer

NewsPoint360 is a news organization focused on giving credible experts a platform through video interviews that are uniquely designed for media and other key audiences looking for knowledgeable perspectives on trending stories.

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rebecca spencer on sleep

Dr. Rebecca Spencer on What Happens to Your Brain When it's Low on Sleep

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