A new study suggests that when a full night's sleep isn't possible, a brief workout or a nap could help protect one of the brain's most important functions: memory. Researchers led by McGill University found that people who either completed a short session of moderate-to-vigorous exercise or took a lengthy nap after going without sleep performed significantly better on memory tests than those who did neither. The study examined 54 healthy young adults who remained awake for 30 consecutive hours under laboratory supervision.
Following the sleep-deprivation period, participants were assigned to one of three groups. One group completed a 20-minute cycling session, another took a 90-minute nap, and a third served as a control group and received neither intervention. Researchers later assessed how well participants remembered images they had been shown immediately after the exercise, nap or control condition.
Three days later, the results revealed a clear difference. Those who had exercised or napped performed about 22 percent better on memory tests than participants who had done neither. Senior study author Marc Roig, a professor in McGill's School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, said the results could be particularly important because many people cannot simply stop what they are doing and catch up on sleep.
He added: “Our findings show that even a brief bout of exercise may help preserve one of our most important cognitive abilities.” Although exercise and napping produced nearly identical memory benefits, the researchers found evidence that the brain may be using different mechanisms to achieve those results. Roig told Newsweek that napping seemed to work primarily by restoring a brain state that was more conducive to learning by reducing markers of sleep pressure and neural fatigue, while exercise appeared to help participants use memory-related neural resources more efficiently despite ongoing sleep deprivation. Researchers also reported that exercise provided this benefit without making participants feel more tired.
The distinction could be important when considering how such approaches might be used in real-world settings. While a nap may help restore the brain's ability to take in new information, access to a quiet place and enough uninterrupted time to sleep is not always available. That may make exercise a more practical option in situations where people need to remain alert but have limited opportunities for rest.
The research team said the findings could eventually help shape fatigue-management strategies in industries where sleep loss is common and mistakes can carry serious consequences. Fields such as health care, transportation and emergency response were highlighted as examples. While the results are encouraging, Roig said that the findings should not automatically be generalized to older adults or people who experience chronic sleep deprivation, such as shift workers.
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