Afternoon Naps Boost Problem-Solving Skills, Study Finds
New research highlights the cognitive benefits of napping, particularly REM sleep, for enhanced problem-solving and memory processing.
Watan-A new scientific study concluded that taking an afternoon nap enhances problem-solving skills in the brain and leads to significant health benefits for humans. It also provides REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is one of the important human needs, as it is linked to memory storage and emotional processing.
According to a report published on the “Science Alert” website, which was reviewed by “Al Arabiya.net,” the findings came from a study conducted by researchers at Texas State University. They tested a standard problem-solving task and found that the human brain showed improvement and a greater ability to solve problems thanks to napping.
Afternoon Naps Enhance Mental Problem-Solving
The researchers found that our brains solve problems using successful methods, and people who nap in the afternoon performed better in these mental approaches toward solutions.
The researchers wrote, “Current results suggest that when a problem seems unsolvable, the phrase ‘just sleep on it’ might have some merit, especially if the sleep includes REM (which happens during a nap).”
They added, “This phase of sleep may play a crucial role in benefiting from past experiences by creating and strengthening associations that do not easily emerge in our waking lives.”
The study involved 58 participants, who were presented with a series of problems followed by their solutions. Then, they were shown another set of similar problems, but this time, no solutions were provided. However, the puzzles could be solved using the same mental processes used in the first set.
There was then a two-hour gap, during which 28 of the volunteers napped for 110 minutes, while the other 30 participants were asked to stay awake. The REM sleep of the nap group was measured using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets during their sleep.
After the break, the experiment continued by giving all participants a chance to revisit the problems they had failed to solve in the second set.
REM Sleep Enhances Problem-Solving After Naps
The researchers found that those who napped performed better in solving the problems that had puzzled them initially, and the amount of REM sleep they received was linked to the likelihood of solving these problems, despite both the nap and non-nap groups having similar results before the break.
The nap group also performed better than the wakeful group in identifying similarities between problems.
The researchers added, “These results suggest that sleep improves the ability to solve targeted problems that could not be solved initially, and indicate that REM sleep enhances analogical transfer by highlighting the commonalities between source and target problems that were unnoticed before the nap.”
These findings also align with previous research showing that sleep is linked to better creative problem-solving skills and improved mental flexibility across various areas, according to the “Science Alert” report.
As for the “REM sleep” factor, the researchers believe that the way this phase helps us connect new memories with old ones could be beneficial for solving these types of puzzles, where existing skills need to be recalled.
