Remember those sleepless nights in college? Well, they probably weren’t the best idea to get past that upcoming exam. New research from the University of California (Berkeley) has found that taking a 90 minute nap during the day can boost the brain’s capacity to store new facts by 40 percent.
Sleep deprivation causes some brain regions to shut down. The research targeted the hippocampus, the region of the brain in charge of storing fact-based memories. The study involved 39 individuals divided into two groups. A napping group and a non-napping one. During the first part of the experiment (at noon) both groups performed similarly. After that, the nap group took a 90 minute nap. A second session was held and the results were conclusive (and obvious). The group that took a nap did way better than the sleep deprived one.
The study concluded that the siesta allowed those who took it to clear their short-term memory storage, making room for new data. What was also discovered is that this memory-wiping process occurs during a specific time during sleep. To be precise, the 2nd stage of non-REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep (where we spend half of our sleep time), between deep sleep and REM. Before this study, the purpose of this phase was unclear.
Further ahead in the horizon is the possibility to shed light on the correlation between aging and our ability (or loss of it) to learn. This could also lead to new ways of treating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Typical sleep cycle. Courtesy of Somnience.com
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Source Berkeley, University of California
Image credit Bust a change
Article by Fernando
The guy in charge of this blog - husband, Psychologist, former Manager, Blogger, Job Coach, Recruiter and Information Junkie. Yes, I am all that.
Fernando has written 237 awesome articles for us at FT Careers Blog
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