Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Value of a Nap During Skill Learning

"Sara Mednick and William Alaynick review a number of findings from the sleep literature in a 2010 review paper in the Journal of Experimental Clinical Medicine. They point to findings showing that after people practice tapping a rhythmic pattern, they get a little better at it. After they sleep for the night and wake up, their performance on that pattern is even better than it was before they slept. Not only that, but even a nap can help. Studies show that if you nap for an hour or so, you'll also improve on a skill you're learning.

There are five stages of sleep that are distinguished by brain activity and chemical changes in the brain. The first stage lasts a couple of minutes when you first fall asleep. The second stage of sleep (cleverly called Stage 2 sleep) is the kind of sleep that occupies about 60% of your night. Stages 3 and 4 of sleep are sometimes called Slow Wave Sleep because of a characteristic pattern of electrical activity that they create. The last stage is REM sleep, which is named for the rapid eye movements people make in that stage. A number of studies demonstrate that skill learning is related to getting Stage 2 sleep."


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