The new study shows proof that sleeping in sufficient hours each night, as well as napping, contribute to boosts in various cognitive functions. The investigation shows that the correlation holds true for people who nap and also experience rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep.
When they were woken up and subjected to a task demanding them to come up with new ideas, those who napped and had REM sleep proved to be better able to combine ideas in new, innovative manners.
The research was conducted by investigators at the University of California in San Diego (UCSD), who were led by psychiatrist Sara Mednick. She was also the author of the new study.
Schacter explains that studies he conducted showed that certain areas of the human brain were equally as active during sleep as they were when performing their daytime operations.
