Take 45-min power nap to boost your memory five-fold

A new study has found that a short nap can actually improve memory function five-fold.

A short doze of between 45 minutes and an hour consolidates memories and can be a powerful aide to students revising for exams or anyone needing to remember things, the Daily Express reported.

Researchers at Saarland University in Germany said the brief nap didn't so much increase memory but allowed people to retain what they had just learned.

Professor Axel Mecklinger, who supervised the study, said the study proved it was important for students to be well rested during exam periods.

The study is published in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.