Overview
- A within-subject experiment with 20 healthy young adults compared a ~45‑minute nap to staying awake on separate afternoons.
- After the nap, average cortical synaptic activity was lower and weaker stimulation elicited responses, consistent with enhanced plasticity.
- Researchers used EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation, stimulating the right primary motor cortex and recording muscle responses as objective readouts.
- The authors describe this as the first evidence that short daytime sleep can recalibrate cortical synapses, a process previously linked mainly to nocturnal sleep.
- The findings, published in NeuroImage (2026; doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121723), suggest naps may support concentration during demanding tasks, though generalizability is limited and behavioral therapy is advised over sleep medications for chronic sleep problems.