A daytime nap improves performance on a novel aerial flight maneuvering task

Previous work has shown the positive effects of sleep on learning and memory. While most have focused on the effects of a full night of sleep, evidence suggests that a daytime nap has similar effects on improving learning. Here we examined the effects of a nap on three learning tasks. Participants (n = 66; 42 males) were randomly assigned to either a nap or rest group. Both groups completed paired associates, finger tapping, and novel aerial flight maneuvering (AFM) tasks. All tasks were performed in the morning (i.e., test), followed by a 2-hour nap or rest opportunity, and again 30 min after the nap/rest (i.e., retest). EEG was recorded throughout, including polysomnography during the nap. For the AFM task, the nap group demonstrated improved performance at retest compared to the rest group. Within the nap group, we found that the amount of stage N2 sleep was significantly associated with better learning. The EEG recordings during the AFM task demonstrated significant changes in beta power. The rest group saw a significant increase at retest compared to the test; the nap group saw a significant decrease. The paired associates and finger-tapping tasks did not elicit any significant behavioral or EEG results. We found that a daytime nap significantly improved learning performance on a novel aviation task compared to an equivalent rest period. This improvement was evident in both behavioral performance and EEG results, suggesting that a daytime nap could be incorporated into work/rest guidance as a strategy to improve new occupational training.