Want to Improve Your Memory? Take a Nap

You are looking for a way to improve your memory without the use of chemical substances? There is a simple answer for that - taking a nap.

Scientists say that napping is better than a good night sleep if you want to improve memory. At the same time, napping can increase your learning abilities, says "National Geographic".

These findings may explain why so much time is spent before you dream, that is, before you enter the REM sleep stage.

For years it was believed that it is easier for humans to remember things when their eyes are closed, so it was advised to sleep well at night. However, the researchers concluded that a short nap is a lot better for memory instead of a long night sleep.

It turns out that the information is closed during sleep in "short term" storage of hippocampus - part of the brain responsible for memory. Then, this information migrates to the "long memory" storage in the brain stem. During this process new information is memorized.

"It is not only important to take a nap after learning, but doing the same before studying is also advisable" - says author of this study, Matthew Walker of the University of California at Berkeley (USA).

"Sleep makes the brain, like dry tinder, to absorb the new information" - he adds.

This scientific research was presented in America in the ongoing "American Association for the Advancement of Science" conference.

During this experiment, 39 adults were monitored. They were asked to perform several tasks like learning some facts. The volunteers of one group, before beginning of this task, took a nap (90 minutes long), the other volunteers - didn't. It turned out that the results of the second group were significantly worse.

Unfortunately, it appears that these findings may not always work out. According to Sara Mednick, the professor of psychiatry from the University of California (USA), some people, who take a nap, wake up groggy and disoriented - these are the effects of sleep inertia. This usually happens when a person is awakened from a deep sleep: the temperature and blood flow to the brain slows down.

All in all, if you want to improve your memory, consider taking a nap before studying and after.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100222-sleep-naps-brain-memories/