- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Molecule in Skin May Link Eczema and Asthma
- Herbal Remedy Could Halt Peanut Allergy
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Traditional Chinese Therapy May Help Ease Eczema
- Ginkgo No Shield Against Alzheimer's
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- BONES & JOINTS
- Alcohol Abuse Can Damage Bones
- A Little Drink May Be Good for Your Bones
- Tai Chi May Help Ward Off Knee Pain in Seniors
- CANCER
- Get to Know the Pap Test
- Sharing Cancer Info May Be Empowering
- Selenium, Omega-3s May Stave Off Colorectal Cancer
- CAREGIVING
- Depression, PTSD Common Among Lung Transplant Patient Caregivers
- Babies Born in High Pollen Months at Wheezing Risk
- Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Mercury in Fish Linked to High Blood Pressure
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Support Network May Play Role in Benefits of Drinking
- COSMETIC
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- Mouse Study Finds Molecule That Tells Hair to Grow
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Gum Disease Treatment Doesn't Cut Preterm Birth Risk
- Laser Technology Spots Cavities Before They Start
- DIABETES
- Study Shows Turmeric May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Poor Blood Sugar Control After Heart Surgery Impacts Outcomes
- Drug May Not Help Diabetes-Related Eye Damage
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Eat Up, But Eat Healthy This Holiday Season
- Common Antioxidant Might Slow Parkinson's
- Iced Teas Pose High Risk of Kidney Stones
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Cats Can Trigger Eczema in Some Infants
- Smog Standards Need Tightening, Activists Say
- Preparing for a Chlorine Gas Disaster
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Eye Test Could Spot Diabetes Vision Trouble Early
- Diabetic Hispanics Missing Out on Eye Exams
- High Temps Degrade Contact Lens Solution: Study
- FITNESS
- Daily Exercise at School Yields Rewards
- Exercise 30 Minutes a Day? Who Knew!
- Vigorous Exercise Can Cut Breast Cancer Risk
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Gum Chewing May Speed Colon Surgery Recovery
- New Yogurt May Ease Stomach Ulcers
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- GENERAL HEALTH
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- Have Fun This Summer, But DO Be Careful
- Parents Influence Sex Decisions, Hispanic Teens Say
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Using Light Therapy to Silence Harmful Brain Activity
- Subway Defibrillators Save Lives
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Heart Disease
- Irregular Heartbeat Tied to Alzheimer's Disease
- Too-Low Blood Pressure Can Also Bring Danger
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- Swine Flu Is Now a Pandemic Says W.H.O.
- KID'S HEALTH
- Even Young Kids Can Learn CPR
- Older People at Greater Risk of Swine Flu Death
- School Meals Need to Get Healthier
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- Countdown to Hair Loss
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Meditation, Yoga Might Switch Off Stress Genes
- Keeping Mentally Active Seems To Keep The Brain Active
- Eight Spiritual Universal Principles in the Art of Practice
- PREGNANCY
- Acupuncture May Relieve Acid Indigestation In Pregnancy
- Obesity May Affect Fertility in Young Womene
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- SENIORS
- Protein Deposits May Show Up Before Memory Problems Occur, Study Says
- Exercise Benefits Even the Oldest Old
- Fitness Fades Fast After 45
Afternoon Nap Might Make You Smarter
By eholistic.com Published: 02/22/2010
Want to ace that next test? Try taking a mid-afternoon siesta.
While the findings are preliminary, new research raises the prospect that sleep, specifically a lengthy afternoon nap, prepares the brain to remember things. Think of it as similar to rebooting a computer to get it to work more smoothly.
"Sleep is not just for the body. It's very much for the brain," said study author Matthew Walker, an assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
Walker and colleagues divided 39 young adults into two groups. At noon, all the participants took part in a memory exercise that required them to remember faces and link them with names. Then the researchers took part in another memory exercise at 6 p.m., after 20 had napped for 100 minutes during the break.
Those who remained awake performed about 10 percent worse on the tests than those who napped, Walker said.
There's one more twist: People's ability to learn declines about 10 percent between noon and 6 p.m. normally, but the nappers were able to negate that decline.
The structure of the study suggests that a phase of non-dreaming sleep that the nappers went through is boosting memory, he said.
"This is further evidence that sleep plays a critical role in the processing of memories," he said. "It provides more evidence that it's not just important to sleep after learning, but you need it before learning to prepare the brain for laying down information."
But it's important to sleep long enough to give the brain an opportunity to go through various cycles of sleep, he said. Using electroencephalogram tests to track electrical activity in the brain, the researchers determined that memory-refreshing seems to occur between deep sleep and the dream state, called rapid eye movement or REM.
"The brain's ability to soak up information is not always stable," Walker said. "It seems as though the brain's capacity may be a little like a sponge. It may get waterlogged with continued learning throughout the day."
Jessica Payne, an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the study findings "really add to something we already know about why sleep is important."
One message from the research, she said, is that sleep can be valuable for "students and for people who are struggling with their memory because they're aging."
Other recent research has suggested that sleep can help you think more creatively, have better long-term memory and preserve important memories.
The study findings were scheduled to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science in San Diego.
SOURCES: Matthew Walker, assistant professor, psychology and neuroscience, University of California at Berkeley; Jessica Payne, assistant professor, psychology, University of Notre Dame, Indiana; Feb. 21, 2010, presentation, American Association of the Advancement of Science annual meeting, San Diego Published on: February 21, 2010
