I not a good napper, but I met a lot of people who believe that a short rest during the day can give you a real boost of energy. One of my friends says that a quick afternoon nap helps her feel much more alert and focused, especially when she’s studying for exams. This got me thinking: is there real science behind this idea of napping? Could it be that regularly taking a nap actually makes our brains work better, helping us remember things more easily and quickly? I didn’t know, so I decided to read about it.

The Body’s Natural Downtime: Understanding Your Internal Clock

I came to realize that to truly understand naps, I first needed to learn about our body’s natural 24-hour cycle—something called the circadian rhythm [1]. And I have a confession to make: I used to think the circadian rhythm was just a myth. Yep, I was that clueless! But here I am now, a full-on believer.

So, what exactly is this circadian rhythm? Think of it as your body’s internal clock, regulating when you feel alert and when you start to get sleepy. Interestingly, for most people, this clock includes a natural dip in energy during the mid-afternoon. That’s why you might feel that wave of sleepiness hit around 2 or 3 p.m.—it’s not just your lunch catching up with you; it’s your biology at work.

This afternoon slump isn’t just about feeling tired; it can actually make it harder to think clearly and remember things [2]. Our brains, especially a part called the hippocampus, which is crucial for learning, can struggle when we’ve been awake for a long time. But here’s the good news: a short nap can actually prevent and even reverse these difficulties. A nap, simply put, is just a brief period of sleep during the day [3, 4].

In a study on the impact of napping on memory, the researchers wanted to understand if and how a daytime nap might help us improve our memory, and if this works the same way in younger and older individuals by looking at what’s happening in their brains. They found that the younger and older adults process memories differently during naps. Yet, both groups benefit from napping. Additionally, younger adults who experienced deeper sleep showed greater improvements in memory [5]. Specifically, it appears to help us recall declarative memories – those everyday facts and events that we can consciously bring to mind [6]. So, that information you crammed for a test or that interesting fact you learned earlier in the day might stick better if you take a nap afterward.

What the Scientists Say: Naps for a Sharper Mind

Many scientists have been exploring the fascinating connection between napping and our brains. Their research suggests that naps can indeed be good for our cognitive performance – how well we think, learn, and remember. While many studies have looked at the general effects of naps, I was particularly interested in whether regularly napping makes a difference over time. Let’s look at some of the key findings from these studies:

• First Study: Napping in School Boosts Learning for Teenagers:

One study, titled “Naps in school can enhance the duration of declarative memories learned by adolescents,” examined how naps taken after learning something new could help teenagers remember it better [6]. The researchers worked with a large group of students, between 10 and 15 years old.

They gave the students a 15-minute lecture on a topic that wasn’t part of their usual schoolwork. Then, the students were randomly split into two groups: one that took a nap and one that didn’t. In the first part of the study, the non-napping students just went to their regular classes. The students who napped got to sleep for two whole hours! Later, the researchers tested both groups on what they had learned in the lecture, at different times: after one day, two days, and five days.

The results were interesting. One day after the lecture, both groups showed about a 10% improvement in their test scores. However, this improvement lasted much longer for the students who had napped. They continued to show better scores after two days and even after five days. But for the students who didn’t nap, the improvement had disappeared after five days.

In the second part of the study, the nap was shorter – just 50 minutes. The students were tested right after the lecture and then again after five days, 30 days, and a whopping 110 days! The results were remarkable. The students who took a nap consistently scored higher on the tests than those who didn’t, at every single time point. This strongly suggests that napping can be a simple way for schools to help students improve their memory and learning. The researchers even suggested that if schools could figure out the best time and length for naps, it could really help tired teenagers learn better.

However, this study also had some limitations. For example, it didn’t look at how much sleep the students were getting at home, which could also affect their memory. Also, the researchers relied on the students to tell them if they had napped – what if some of them said they napped when they didn’t? The study didn’t explain how they made sure the students were actually sleeping.

• Second Study: Napping Is Better than Cramming to Enhance Memory

Another study, titled “The long-term memory benefits of a daytime nap compared with cramming,” directly compared the benefits of napping to the common student practice of cramming, which means studying intensely for a short period [7]. The researchers recruited university students and first checked their general cognitive abilities to make sure everyone was starting on a level playing field. They also asked the students to keep regular sleep schedules for a few days before the experiment and during the week that followed. Then, they taught everyone some new scientific material.

The students were divided into three groups: one group took a 60-minute nap, another group took a break and watched a 60-minute film, and the third group spent that time cramming the information. Everyone had a short break between two learning sessions and then took a final learning test.

Right after the learning period, both the napping group and the cramming group showed better memory than the group that just took a break. But here’s the key finding: this memory boost only lasted for the napping group. Even a week later, they still remembered the material better. The students who had crammed, on the other hand, didn’t show this long-term benefit. This study suggests that napping is a more effective way to help students learn and remember information over time compared to simply cramming.

However, one thing the researchers didn’t consider in this study was the potential impact of the menstrual cycle on female students’ sleep. We know that women who are menstruating are more likely to experience sleep problems [8], and this could have influenced the results.

The Bottom Line: Napping for a Better Brain

These studies, along with others, paint a clear picture: napping can be a powerful tool for our brains. It helps us process information, keep memories, and stay sharp. While the ideal nap length and timing might vary from person to person, the evidence suggests that having a short nap daily could have significant benefits for our learning [9] and memory.

A quick nap might just be the smartest move you make all day. Instead of battling the midday Zzz’s with another espresso or a mini existential crisis, why not treat naps as legit cognitive upgrades? That afternoon slump isn’t laziness—it’s your brain hitting reset.So, my new motto? Snooze now, slay later.

Enjoyed the read? Go on and buy me a chamomile 😋

References

1. Dijk, D. & Archer, S. N. (2009). Light, Sleep, and Circadian Rhythms: Together Again. PLoS Biology, 7(6), e1000145. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000145
2. Mantua, J., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2017). Exploring the nap paradox: are mid-day sleep bouts a friend or foe? Sleep Medicine, 37, 88–97. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5598771/
3. Mander, B., Santhanam, S., Saletin, J., & Walker, M. (2011). Wake deterioration and sleep restoration of human learning. Current Biology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093247/
4. Summer, J. V., & Summer, J. V. (2024, March 11). Napping: benefits and tips. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/napping
5. Baran, B., Mantua, J., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2016). Age-related changes in the sleep-dependent reorganization of declarative memories. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 28(6), 792–802. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00938
6. Lemos, N., Weissheimer, J., & Ribeiro, S. (2014). Naps in school can enhance the duration of declarative memories learned by adolescents. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2014.00103/full
7. Cousins, J. N., Wong, K. F., Raghunath, B. L., Look, C., & Chee, M. W. L. (2018). The long-term memory benefits of a daytime nap compared with cramming. Sleep, 42(1), zsy207. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsy207
8. Baker, F. C., & Lee, K. A. (2018). Menstrual cycle effects on sleep. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 13(3), 283–294. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30098748/
9. Jones, B. J., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2020). Role of Napping for Learning Across the Lifespan. Current Sleep Medicine Reports, 6(4), 290–297. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8011550/

---

#homeschool #school #education #children #kids #learning #schooling #teaching #teach #study #learn #development #mental development #cognitive #lifespan anxiety depression education family green-tea health homeschool homeschooling insomnia mental-health news nutrition parenting sleep social-media tea technology wellness

Search

Search