For those high school and college students out there, turns out a 90-minute nap in between studying can actually improve your memory! Researchers in Israel performed a study where participants were allowed a nap between learning two tasks. Results showed that those who snoozed between tasks showed more improvement the following day than those who did not take the nap. Actually, those who didn’t sleep showed no improvement the next day!
The researchers found that sleep helps overcome interference, which is the trouble the brain has when trying process new information as well as remembering old information. Instead of taking 6-8 hours to process the new information, the 90-minute nap shortened the time it would take to remember the information.
So, next time you’re having problems remembering information or new tasks, take a nap. Of course, it won’t benefit you at all if you forget to set your alarm!