A Nap Can Make You Smarter

[Karlis]

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that napping an hour can dramatically restore and boost your brain power.Amazingly, they found a nap can actually make you smarter. Read more...

Do you have an afternoon nap? If so, do you think it makes you "sharper" for the rest of the day?

[JGirl]

Do you have an afternoon nap? If so, do you think it makes you "sharper" for the rest of the day?

if i lay down during the day i'm out for at least two hours- i sure wish i could figure out how people get anything out of ten or twenty minutes sleep. i'd be better off staying awake!

[cookies]

I'll only wake up the next day if i fall asleep anytime.

Edited March 1, 2011 by cookies

[Keel M.]

I've managed to train myself to sleep for an hour if I lay down in the middle of the day on the weekends. I did that because sleeping longer made me feel like I'd been run over by a truck.

JGirl... I, too, wish I could figure out how people get anything out of a 10-20 minute nap. I tried that last weekend and felt even more tired.

Ultimately, though, it will never matter whether we understand a nap's necessity to the brain. The US is all about work and nothing else. We throw our lives into working and get little in return other than a means to survive. I don't see this ever being accepted in the work place.

[JGirl]

I've managed to train myself to sleep for an hour if I lay down in the middle of the day on the weekends. I did that because sleeping longer made me feel like I'd been run over by a truck.

JGirl... I, too, wish I could figure out how people get anything out of a 10-20 minute nap. I tried that last weekend and felt even more tired.

Ultimately, though, it will never matter whether we understand a nap's necessity to the brain. The US is all about work and nothing else. We throw our lives into working and get little in return other than a means to survive. I don't see this ever being accepted in the work place.

the only time i remember being able to nap during the day for short bursts of time was when my kids were small. it's not that i was getting anything out of it, it was more of a shut down mechanism lol

[Drayno]

Coincidence or not, I just awoke from a nap.

I do feel invigorated.

Matter of fact, I feel great.

[vester]

www.newsmaxhealth.com said:

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, found that napping an hour can dramatically restore and boost your brain power.Amazingly, they found a nap can actually make you smarter. Read more...

There is no source mentioned in the article. Why take it seriously, if the researchers are kept in the dark? It could be made up as well.

This doesn't belong in a Psychology forum, but in Cryptozoology, Myths and Legends.

Psychology is science, not journalism or myth. If you wish to argue your statement, then come up with real, psychological, scientific arguments based on research and not just a news article. The only reference is 'Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley'. What researchers? What's the title? Any psychologist or anyone interested in psychology cannot take that seriously.

Edited March 1, 2011 by vester

[JGirl]

There is no source mentioned in the article. Why take it seriously, if the researchers are kept in the dark? It could be made up as well.

This doesn't belong in a Psychology forum, but in Cryptozoology, Myths and Legends.

Psychology is science, not journalism or myth. If you wish to argue your statement, then come up with real, psychological, scientific arguments based on research and not just a news article. The only reference is 'Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley'. What researchers? What's the title? Any psychologist or anyone interested in psychology cannot take that seriously.

did you read the article?

the source is the university of california, berkley. why do you need to know the specific names of the researchers? it really doesn't change the validity of the research.

In the study, 39 healthy young adults were divided into two groups nap and no-nap. Both groups were given rigorous learning tasks at noon to stress the hippocampus, a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Results in both groups were similar.

At 2 p.m., the first group napped for 90 minutes while the no-nap group stayed awake. At 6 p.m., both groups were subjected to a new series of learning exercises. Those who napped performed markedly better and actually improved their ability to learn.

Walker said researchers believe sleep is needed to clear the brain's short-term memory storage and make room for new information.

"It's as though the e-mail inbox in your hippocampus is full and, until you sleep and clear out those fact e-mails, you're not going to receive any more mail. It's just going to bounce until you sleep and move it into another folder," Walker said.

i don't really know why you're suggesting this topic should be in the myths and legends category.

Edited March 1, 2011 by JGirl

[The Silver Thong]

if i lay down during the day i'm out for at least two hours- i sure wish i could figure out how people get anything out of ten or twenty minutes sleep. i'd be better off staying awake!

Ya almost as pointless as hitting the snooze button for an extra 7 min sleep in the morning. (I do it all the time though lol)

[JGirl]

Ya almost as pointless as hitting the snooze button for an extra 7 min sleep in the morning. (I do it all the time though lol)

i haven't used an alarm clock in decades (i wake up around 5:30 every morning whether i like it or not), but my bf just loves the snooze button. i'm glad i'm up already, cuz that would drive me nuts!

[SHaYap]

Last I heard, they take this very seriously in Japan

Some of the bigger companies even have a "napping" station, where facilities are available to encourage napping,

comfy couches, soft ambient lighting and music etc

Happy employees makes happy productive work I guess

napping is usually helpful when one isn't stressed out, overworked/exhausted or under medication.

the catch is one have to be in a balanced state of mind and body first before it can have positive effects

[Purplos]

I barely have time to sleep at night.

I haven't had a nap since I was three or four... except while I had the flu at some point before I had kids.

[Fluffybunny]

I've managed to train myself to sleep for an hour if I lay down in the middle of the day on the weekends. I did that because sleeping longer made me feel like I'd been run over by a truck.

JGirl... I, too, wish I could figure out how people get anything out of a 10-20 minute nap. I tried that last weekend and felt even more tired.

Ultimately, though, it will never matter whether we understand a nap's necessity to the brain. The US is all about work and nothing else. We throw our lives into working and get little in return other than a means to survive. I don't see this ever being accepted in the work place.

I have tried to do the brief 45 minute nap...it usually goes about 5 hours or so...

Never have been able to do a short nap like that, not sure why...I have a hard enough time sleeping as is, so to try to nap in the middle of the day...well, I just sleep till dark and wake up all confused. HMMM...

[The Silver Thong]

I barely have time to sleep at night.

I haven't had a nap since I was three or four... except while I had the flu at some point before I had kids.

LOL

[The Silver Thong]

I have tried to do the brief 45 minute nap...it usually goes about 5 hours or so...

Never have been able to do a short nap like that, not sure why...I have a hard enough time sleeping as is, so to try to nap in the middle of the day...well, I just sleep till dark and wake up all confused. HMMM...

I have a nap say at 3 pm and it's light out. I wake up at 6 and it's dark out. I think I'm late for work and I'm totally messed up. I try not to have naps on the weekend because I could lose a day.

[SHaYap]

I have a nap say at 3 pm and it's light out. I wake up at 6 and it's dark out. I think I'm late for work and I'm totally messed up. I try not to have naps on the weekend because I could lose a day.

Oh no ... did you see the bright lights outside the window mate ?

[Kazahel]

I have a nap almost everyday at about 3ish because my body wants it. I feel it makes me recharge and I try not to sleep longer than about an hour. I usually just wake up because I feel recharged and if I sleep longer I think its because I didnt sleep long enough the night before.

So I love my siesta time.

[~TheBigK~]

So what does it say about me that I don't like naps? I can't fall asleep during the day unless I'm exhausted and if I do, it throws off my normal sleep.

[UFO_Monster]

For whatever reason, I can only sleep at night. It is very rare that I somehow snooze during the day.

[allen_iverson]

i take naps so i can go all night