Give it a rest: why afternoon naps can improve memory and alertness

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Short naps may also help improve your attention by letting particularly sleepy areas of the brain recover, thereby preventing instability in the brain’s networks. If you’re finding that your attention span is wavering in the afternoon while working from home, perhaps try squeezing a nap into your lunch break Longer naps, on the other hand, are more restorative partly because there is time to enter multiple sleep stages, each of which supports different learning processes. This activity in different brain regions – including those important for learning and memory – may be why REM sleep supports both long-term memory and emotional memory. Short naps are great at improving alertness and attention – and if you have time for a longer nap, this can support memory and learning.