Exercise and napping may protect memory from sleep deprivation

Recent studies published in the journals ‘SLEEP’ and ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ suggest that short periods of physical activity or napping can help mitigate the negative effects of sleep deprivation on memory.

One study involving healthy young adults found that 30 minutes of moderate exercise, such as stationary cycling, before sleep could help protect memory performance even when sleep duration is limited. Researchers noted that deep sleep, or slow-wave sleep, may play a role in this memory consolidation benefit, though they emphasized that exercise is not a substitute for adequate rest.

Another study led by McGill University observed participants after 30 hours of wakefulness. The research indicated that individuals who engaged in 20 minutes of moderate-to-high intensity exercise or took a 90-minute nap performed approximately 22% better on memory tests compared to a control group. Brain activity recordings showed that while napping helps the brain recover to better receive new information, exercise helps the brain use its remaining resources more efficiently without increasing perceived fatigue.