Power nap your way to a better memory
A new study shows that power naps can improve memory.
Research published in the journal Neurobiology of Learning and Memory compared a group watching a DVD to a group napping. Researchers found that those resting performed significantly better on a word pairing exercise.
“Even a short sleep lasting 45 to 60 minutes produces a five-fold improvement in information retrieval from memory,” Dr. Axel Mecklinger, the research group’s PhD supervisor, says in a press release. “’A short nap at the office or in school is enough to significantly improve learning success.”
Napping can also be especially helpful for students.
“The most important thing to remember is that sleep is just as important as studying,” says Dr. Manisha Sahay, neurologist at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill. “In order to effectively understand what one is learning, it is important to have a balance between getting rest and studying.”
Dr. Sahay says there have also been several studies, especially in children, that suggest sleep is important for the consolidation of memories into the brain’s hippocampus.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
I love naps and my memory isn’t too shabby, either. Interesting…
From now on you’ll find me snoring under my desk at lunchtime…