Guilty Pleasure - LewRockwell

90 minutes of shut eye after learning 'helps you remember new facts and skills'

By Lizzie Parry
Daily Mail

October 19, 2015

For many it is a guilty pleasure, an indulgence saved for the weekend.

But, rather than feel bad about securing yourself a couple of hours shut eye during the day, a team of scientists are suggesting regular daytime naps might actually boost your health.

Their research reveals that memories associated with a reward are preferentially reinforced by sleep.

Even a short nap after a period of learning is beneficial.

Lead researcher, Dr Kinga Igloi from the University of Geneva, said: ‘Rewards may act as a kind of tag, sealing information in the brain during learning.

‘During sleep, that information is favourably consolidated over information associated with a low reward, and is transferred to areas of the brain associated with long-term memory.