In elementary schools, it is not uncommon for students in one classroom to be learning while the kindergarteners a wall away are fast asleep during the middle of the day. These children are not bored, they are simply taking a nap, something that past research has shown can be beneficial to their brain development.

For instance, Parents magazine states that kids’ physical and mental development occurs while they are asleep, whether it is during the day or night. However, it is not just children who benefit from a little rest during the daytime, as new research reveals that sleep may expedite memory consolidation in people of all ages, TIME reported.

These are the findings psychologists and neuroscientists from the University of Edinburgh arrived at in a recent study. To see what effects short breaks from the daily grind have on information retention, the researchers worked with a group of elderly men and women.

During the study, the participants listened to a story and were then told to close their eyes and relax for 10 minutes in a dark room. In another portion of the study, they were told a story and then given no time to rest as they moved on to a new task. In the end, story details were easier to remember when participants were told to rest. In addition, the boost in memory these individuals received was found to last a full week after the study took place.

Based on the results of this study, adults who are concerned about retaining important information may want to close their eyes for a few minutes, rather than stressing out. According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy adults who take naps may feel more relaxed, alert and make fewer mistakes.

If individuals take regular naps and are curious to see what impact they have on their cognitive function, they may want to take an IQ test.

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