Attractions In West Miami - 'Afternoon Naps' Aid Children's Learning

Source      - http://www.bbc.co.uk/
By             - Press Release
Category   - Attractions In West Miami
Posted By  - Inn and Suites In West Miami

Attractions In West Miami

Getting young children to take an hour-long nap after lunch could help them with their learning by boosting brain power, a small study suggests. 

A nap appeared to help three-to-five-year-olds better remember pre-school lessons, US researchers said.

University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers studied 40 youngsters and report their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The benefit persisted in the afternoon after a nap and into the next day.

The study authors say their results suggest naps are critical for memory consolidation and early learning.

When the children were allowed a siesta after lunch they performed significantly better on a visual-spatial tasks in the afternoon and the next day than when they were denied a midday snooze. 

Following a nap, children recalled 10% more of the information they were being tested on than they did when they had been kept awake.

Close monitoring of 14 additional youngsters who came to the researchers' sleep lab revealed the processes at work in the brain during asleep. 

As the children napped, they experienced increased activity in brain regions linked with learning and integrating new information.

Lead investigator Rebecca Spencer said: "Essentially we are the first to report evidence that naps are important for preschool children.

"Our study shows that naps help the kids better remember what they are learning in preschool." 

She said while older children would naturally drop their daytime sleep, younger children should be encouraged to nap.