Scientific study confirms that napping helps the brain recover and function better

Research shows that even a nap is enough to reorganize the connections between nerve cells, so that new information can be stored more effectively, according to the study carried out by experts from the University Medical Center of Freiburg (Germany), the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the university of the same Swiss city (UNIGE).

“Even short periods of sleep increase the brain’s ability to encode new information“, stressed in a statement from the HUG the director of the study, Christoph Nissen, currently responsible for the Sleep Medicine Center at the Geneva hospitals and professor of Psychiatry at UNIGE.

The brain is constantly active during the day when processing new impressions, thoughts and information, which reinforces the connections between nerve cells (synapses) essential for learning, but this produces saturation, so that the brain’s ability to continue learning decreases.

Sleep helps to regulate this excessive activity again, without losing important information, and now the new study shows that That “synaptic reset” can occur with just an afternoon nap, “freeing up space for the formation of new memories,” Nissen said.

The study looked at 20 young adults who, on two separate afternoons, napped for about 45 minutes or stayed awake, and their brain activity was analyzed with non-invasive methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalograms.

The results showed that after a nap the overall strength of synaptic connections in the brain was reduced, an indication of the restorative effect of sleep, and at the same time The brain’s ability to form new connections improved significantly.

The study provides a biological explanation for why people tend to perform better after an afternoon nap, especially in professions or activities that require a high level of mental or physical performance such as music, sports or critical professions in the field of security.

“An afternoon nap can sustain performance in high-demand situations”, summarized the director of the study, published this Thursday in the specialized journal NeuroImage.