Short Wave
Short Wave
NPR
Aha! The Power Of A Short Rest
8 minutes Posted Jun 27, 2025 at 7:00 am.
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Since 2004, scientific research has shown that a full night of sleep may lend itself to a burst of insight in the morning. But what about the earlier stages of sleep? And what about just a nap? A research team based in Germany found that even a 20-minute nap could deliver a "eureka" moment, and published their findings in the journal PLOS Biology this week.

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