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Short Naps Into N2 Sleep Sharply Boost Rapid Insight Rates

EEG spectral slope during 20-minute naps predicts sudden problem-solving breakthroughs; researchers urge broader randomized trials

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Das Napkit ist der Notfall-Koffer für alle, die Mittags einen Schlafplatz im Büro brauchen. (Foto: Firebox)

Overview

  • Participants reaching deep N2 sleep in a 20-minute nap had ‘Aha’ moments on 87.5% of trials versus 63.6% in light N1 sleep and 55.5% in wakeful controls
  • Steeper EEG spectral slopes during naps—a marker of deeper sleep—reliably forecast which individuals would experience rapid problem-solving insights
  • The PLOS Biology study had 90 volunteers perform a four-block dot-motion recognition task with a covert color-cue shortcut introduced in the final block
  • To ensure participants entered N2 sleep, researchers instructed them to cut their prior night’s sleep by one third and avoid caffeine on the day of the experiment
  • Experts note that nonrandomized group allocation and a single-task design limit the findings’ generalizability and call for varied, randomized follow-up studies