TAKING an afternoon nap increases problem-solving brain power, scientists say.
A study tested 58 people under 30, with half instructed to have a two-hour doze.
Taking a two-hour afternoon nap increases problem-solving brain power, scientists say[/caption]
Researchers found that group were better at solving puzzles they had previously been unable to figure out.
Those who stayed awake remained as baffled as before.
Scientists say the boost is because of improvements in analogical transfer — a person’s ability to detect common solutions — when they sleep.
Rapid eye movement sleep was especially good at restoring the brain to full power after a brief snooze.
The deep sleep stage, which causes dreaming and heightened brain activity, may help integrate and consolidate complex information.
At the start of the experiment, participants were presented with eight problems and had three minutes to attempt to solve them.
After their two-hour nap, they were made to solve the puzzles they previously got wrong – with the study finding those who drifted off were significantly brighter than their still-awake rivals.
Dr Carmen Westerberg, at Texas State University, said the study, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, could even make the case for naps to beat mental block at work.
She added: “If you have a difficult problem you cannot solve, processes that occur while you are sleeping may give you insights that could help to solve the problem.”
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