Guilty Pleasure
For many it is a guilty pleasure, an indulgence saved for the weekend.
But, rather than feel bad about securing yourself a couple of hours shut eye during the day, a team of scientists are suggesting regular daytime naps might actually boost your health.
Their research reveals that memories associated with a reward are preferentially reinforced by sleep.
Even a short nap after a period of learning is beneficial.
Lead researcher, Dr Kinga Igloi from the University of Geneva, said: ‘Rewards may act as a kind of tag, sealing information in the brain during learning.
‘During sleep, that information is favourably consolidated over information associated with a low reward, and is transferred to areas of the brain associated with long-term memory.
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