Taking a 30-minute nap improves memory and productivity

Taking short naps during the day, 30 minutes, helps improve memory and increase productivity. The finding is from a survey by the Center for Sleep and Cognition of NUS Medicine, in the United States, which assessed whether there is a recommended duration for naps to actually provide a balance and bring a significant benefit. The results of the study were published in Sleep magazine, one of the most important in the field of sleep medicine.

Naps are periods of sleep that occur outside of the main night period and are different from an episode of uncontrollable, unintentional sleep. To discover the possible benefits of these naps in the middle of the day, the researchers evaluated the naps of 32 adult people who, following the usual amount of nocturnal sleep, were subjected to four experimental conditions: wakefulness and naps of 10, 30 or 60 minutes on alternate days.

Experiment methodology

The scientists compared sleep time objectively by means of polysomnography (an exam carried out to measure the physiological variables of sleep), which made it possible to know exactly the amount of time that should be allocated for a quality nap, taking into account the average time that sleep takes. person took a long time to fall asleep.

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The mood, objective sleepiness and cognitive performance of the volunteers were measured at intervals of 5 minutes, 30, 60 and 240 minutes following awakening from the nap to assess the possible beneficial effects of this nap. The researchers also analyzed the impacts of these minutes of sleep on the memory coding of the participants.

According to the study, it took participants 10 to 15 minutes to fall asleep. And the results indicate that, compared to wakefulness, all nap durations had clear benefits in improving mood and alertness (from the shortest, 10 minutes, to the longest, 60 minutes). However, only the 30-minute naps had a direct benefit in encoding memory, which indicates that at least half an hour of sleep is needed to improve memory.

understanding the nap

To understand the importance of napping during the day, it is necessary to know the physiological mechanisms that make us sleep at night. According to neurologist Letícia Azevedo Soster, specialist in Sleep Medicine at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, sleep has several functions in the body, but the primary function is to make our body recover the energy that was spent during the day.

“We don’t take energy from any external place, we produce it. We wake up full of energy and spend that energy throughout the day. When this happens, the energy molecules [chamadas de ATP] break down and accumulate in the body. The function of sleep is precisely to reunite and “glue” these molecules once more, so that we have energy once more”, explained the neurologist, emphasizing that it is the so-called homeostatic process.

But it’s not just because of energy expenditure that we sleep. We also sleep due to a metabolic process – called the circadian clock – which promotes the synchronization of the organism in relation to the light and dark of the environment (wakefulness and sleep). The third mechanism that makes us sleep is behavioral.

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“We sleep at night because there is a favoring of the homeostatic process [que é o cansaço após o gasto da energia] with the metabolic moment [o nosso organismo se prepara para dormir no escuro]. By uniting these two mechanisms, plus our behavior, we manage to fall asleep and stay asleep”, explained Leticia.

However, it can happen that we do not tolerate the accumulation of tiredness very well during the day and, therefore, we need to take a nap in the middle of the day to carry out this tiredness repair process a little earlier. “This is what happens with the elderly, for example, who take more naps throughout the day because they feel tired more easily”, said the neurologist.

tiredness compensation

Letícia points out that a nap is very useful to compensate for the tiredness that is excessive and makes us unable to carry out our daily activities, following all, feeling sleepy during the day is not good and causes the brain to occupy itself in keep you awake and awake while he should be busy keeping you on your toes.

“Attention is the primary item in memory consolidation. You won’t memorize anything if you’re not fresh and not paying attention. To have memory and be able to memorize new facts, you need to be attentive. And to be attentive, one needs to be vigilant. Therefore, in these cases, the nap serves to compensate for tiredness and reduce sleep pressure”, pointed out the specialist, who goes on to explain that by taking longer naps you restore more sleep phases, which makes the compensation of energy metabolism more efficient.

Letícia points out, however, that it is necessary to assess the individual need for a nap and fit the nap at a suitable time so that it does not disturb your night’s sleep. The first step is to know if you are getting enough sleep for you. “You only know you’re sleeping enough if you’re waking up well,” says Letícia. This is the main point and it does not depend on the amount of hours slept, because the amount of hours of sleep varies from person to person.

“If you nap from 7pm to 8pm, for example, you will likely have trouble initiating your sleep at night. But if you take a nap right following lunch and feel good, you will definitely benefit and be more relaxed.” (Source: Einstein Agency)

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