Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 7 August 2026 · From issue 18
A short workout or a nap each boosted memory by 22% after a sleepless night.
Madhura S. Lotlikar, Beatrice Ayotte et al., Protecting episodic memory after sleep loss: Similar benefits of exercise and naps via distinct neural contributions, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A short workout or a nap can protect memory after a night without sleep. In a study of people kept awake for 30 hours, both a 20 minute exercise session and a 90 minute nap raised memory scores by about 22% compared to no help at all. Brain scans showed the two methods worked in different ways. Exercise helped the brain process new information better, while napping lowered brain fatigue and got the brain ready to learn.
The boost in memory scores from exercise or napping after 30 hours without sleep, compared to no help.
One night of sleep loss tested; unclear if it works long term.
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