Hour Long Nap May Boost Brain Function in Older Adults

Nearly 60 percent of the people regularly napped after lunch. The duration of these naps ranged from about 30 minutes to more than 90 minutes. Most of the participants slept for about an hour, the study found.

The researchers — led by Junxin Li of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia — asked the participants to undergo several mental status tests, such as answering simple questions and completing basic math problems. Study volunteers also tried to memorize and recall words, and copy drawings of simple geometric objects.

The people who napped for an hour after lunch performed better on the brain function tests than those who didn’t nap at all. Those who slept for an hour also outperformed the people who slept for less than an hour or more than an hour, the findings showed.