- A 20-minute workout is just as effective as a 90-minute nap at combating memory loss caused by sleep deprivation, researchers from McGill University have found.
- Researchers tested 54 healthy young adults who were kept awake for 30 consecutive hours before either cycling for 20 minutes, napping for 90 minutes, or doing neither for control results.
- Napping appeared to help the brain “recharge”, making it easier to absorb new information, while exercise let the brain “use its remaining resources more efficiently”.
- Researchers said that exercise cannot replace sleep, however it might help people function better when they have less time or aren’t in a position to be able to nap.
- Report co-author Madhura Lotlikar, a doctoral candidate at McGill's neurology department, said: “Exercise is accessible, inexpensive and easy to implement. That makes it a promising tool to help people stay cognitively sharp when sleep is limited.”
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