Six minute nap shown to boost memory

Several studies have been conducted on the relationship between sleep and memory, with evidence clearly showing that top performance requires an adequate amount of shut-eye.

But what about naps? How long do they really have to be in order to give us that rejuvenating mental boost? A team of researchers from the University of Dusseldorf in Germany set out to find the answer to that very question.

In their study, researchers asked a group of students to remember a set of words and then gave them a one hour break before testing them. During that hour, some of the students were allowed to sleep for approximately six minutes, while the rest were kept awake. Remarkably, on waking, the napping students performed better in the memory test.

However, some scientists not involved with the study were not convinced. In past research, it was found that the processing of memories takes place in deep sleep, a phase which does not normally start until at least 20 minutes after falling asleep.