Your brain is constantly active during the day. New impressions, thoughts, and information are all being processed. This helps to strengthen the connection between nerve cells or synapses.
A small new study published in NeuroImage suggested that even a short afternoon nap can help your brain recover and improve your ability to learn.
“The study was well designed, and I like it because it helps reinforce the concept that sleep is not just a passive activity where the brain is ‘resting’,” said Vernon Williams, MD, sports neurologist and founding director of the Center for Sports Neurology and Pain Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study.
“Sleep (even brief naps) does more than simply reduce fatigue. There is a measurable effect on brain physiology,” Williams told Healthline.
The findings show that a nap may be enough to reorganize connections between nerve cells, allowing your brain to store new information more efficiently. Up until now, this was something that was thought to only occur after a full night’s sleep.
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