Naps of different durations, taken at different times of the day, produce varying effects, says Sara Mednick, professor of cognitive science at the University of California, Irvine. In general, naps benefit everything that nighttime sleep helps, including emotional regulation, attention, alertness, motor function and memory, Mednick adds. … Memory consolidation during sleep might occur because memory-related brain areas reactivate memories when you’re asleep. This strengthens the connections between neurons holding on to that memory, says Mednick.

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