Memory Maximizers: Napping as a Brain Booster; Obesity’s Effect on Memory
BLISSFUL BRAIN BOOSTER: A NAP!
Researchers have come up with the perfect rationale for the post-prandial siesta: It seems that napping for an hour or so after lunch improves memory and the ability to think clearly. A study involving nearly 3,000 older adults recorded participants’ nighttime sleep habits, and noted whether they took an afternoon nap and, if so, how long they napped. The scientists then looked at the performance of the study participants on a series of mental status tests that assessed attention, and memory, and involved completing basic math problems, answering simple questions, and drawing simple shapes.
According to a report published online Dec. 20, 2016 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, among the 60 percent of participants who reported taking daytime siestas, those who napped for about an hour after lunch performed significantly better on the cognitive tests than those who did not nap at all, those who napped for 30 minutes or less and those who slept 90 minutes or longer. Although a short nap was found to be better than no nap at all, the cognitive performance among hour-long nappers was up to six times better than that of participants who took no naps, short naps, or very long naps.
“The results support the hypothesis that a moderate-duration nap taken during the post-lunch dip is associated with better overall cognition,” the study authors concluded.
STUDY SUGGESTS THAT AVOIDING OBESITY MIGHT HELP MEMORY
Shedding those extra pounds may not only improve your health and appearance, it may also boost your ability to respond to memory training, new research suggests. Scientists followed about 2,800 older adults with an average age of 74 for 10 years, recording the body mass index (BMI) of participants and comparing the performance on cognitive tests of participants who received memory training.
The researchers found that memory training was only one-third as beneficial for participants who were obese as it was for those who were normal weight. Although the reason for this difference is not clear, the study’s lead author pointed to growing evidence of a link between obesity status and brain function, including imaging studies that have linked obesity with more rapid loss of hippocampal volume—a possible explanation for the reduction in capacity for memory gains in older adults with obesity.
“Other work has shown that weight loss can lead to improvements in memory function,” said the lead author of the paper, which was published Nov. 2, 2016 in the journal Obesity. “Addressing dementia risk factors like obesity at any age is important, as recent science indicates a life-course cumulative risk.”
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