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Sleep and memory: a bigger study backs the nap result, with caveats

A 640-student follow-up finds a 20-minute nap helped recall by about 8 percent; the effect faded after a week.

By Dr Kavita Rao

Published 25 October 2026 at 10:30 pm IST · 1 min read

A star field — Stock photograph used as an illustration; it does not show the place, event or people in the story. Photo: Photo: Dino Reichmuth via Wikimedia Commons (CC0-1.0)

An earlier study of 60 students suggested short naps help memory. The larger follow-up used 640 students in four colleges.

The nap group recalled 8 percent more word pairs. By the next week, the gap had narrowed to 2 percent.

Sources

Short naps and declarative memory: a multi-site trial (demo) (Demo Journal of Psychology, 2026-09-05)

This is a demo story: every name, place, organisation and figure in it is fictional.

Sources

Short naps and declarative memory: a multi-site trial (demo) · Demo Journal of Psychology, 5 September 2026

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Small study suggests a short nap helps students remember, but the sample is just 60
Dr Kavita Rao26 Oct, 7:30 pm