We spend a third of our lives sleeping and there is no greater enjoyment than a really good afternoon nap. Back in preschool, the good old days, naps were built into our daily schedules but as adults - not so much. But should they be? Is there any neurological benefit or detriment to taking a nap?
Tune in to learn a little bit more about the neuroscience behind sleep, memory, and naps!
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Citations and relevant papers below:
Cherry K. The 4 Stages of Sleep (NREM and REM Sleep Cycles). Verywell Health. Published June 16, 2007. https://www.verywellhealth.com/the-four-stages-of-sleep-2795920
The Haunting Effects Of Going Days Without Sleep. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2017/12/27/573739653/the-haunting-effects-of-going-days-without-sleep#:~:text=VEDANTAM%3A%20At%202%3A00%20in..
Alberini CM, Chen DY. Memory enhancement: consolidation, reconsolidation and insulin-like growth factor 2. Trends in Neurosciences. 2012;35(5):274-283. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2011.12.007
Walker MP, Stickgold R. Sleep-Dependent Learning and Memory Consolidation. Neuron. 2004;44(1):121-133. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.031
McKenzie S, Eichenbaum H. Consolidation and Reconsolidation: Two Lives of Memories? Neuron. 2011;71(2):224-233. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2011.06.037
Rasch B, Born J. About Sleep’s Role in Memory. Physiological Reviews. 2013;93(2):681-766. doi:10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
Walker MP. The role of slow wave sleep in memory processing. Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 2009;5(2 Suppl):S20-6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824214/
Kumar D, Koyanagi I, Carrier-Ruiz A, et al. Sparse Activity of Hippocampal Adult-Born Neurons during REM Sleep Is Necessary for Memory Consolidation. Neuron. 2020;107(3):552-565.e10. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.008
Groch S, Wilhelm I, Diekelmann S, Born J. The role of REM sleep in the processing of emotional memories: Evidence from behavior and event-related potentials. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. 2013;99:1-9. doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2012.10.006
Horváth K, Plunkett K. Spotlight on daytime napping during early childhood. Nature and Science of Sleep. 2018;Volume 10:97-104. doi:10.2147/nss.s126252