Naps and Dreaming Help You Learn Better

Our brains process the new information we acquire throughout the day while we sleep. A study done at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrates how taking a nap immediately after learning a task and also dreaming about the task helps the brain better process the information and commit it to memory. The researchers had 99 subjects play a computer game that required them to navigate through a maze. A number of them were then instructed to take a 90 minute nap, while the others were instructed to do other quiet activites, while still thinking about navigating through the maze. After the nappers woke up, all subjects were instructed to navigate through the maze again. Those who did not take naps did not improve. Those who took naps but did not have dreams about the maze showed little improvement. Those who took naps and also dreamed about navigating through the maze were most successful. Subjects who performed best in the second trial performed poorly in the first trial. This shows that when the brain is presented with a challenging task, it works harder to learn it. Being asleep allows the brain to focus on the difficult task and process the information faster.

I liked this article because I like taking naps. It gives me a good reason to take more naps.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100422153753.htm