{
  "id": 3057163,
  "title": "Workout or nap? Either can help your sleepless brain, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/workout-or-nap-either-can-help-your-sleepless-brain-study-finds",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-24T16:00:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-workout-nap-sleepless-brain.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Short bouts of exercise or a 90-minute nap can both help maintain memory function after a sleepless night, according to a new study from McGill University. Researchers found that participants who engaged in 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous cycling or took a 90-minute nap performed about 22% better on memory tests after 30 hours without sleep compared to those who did neither activity. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights practical ways to combat the effects of sleep deprivation, which can impair nearly every aspect of cognitive functioning. Senior author Marc Roig notes that even brief exercise may help preserve cognitive abilities. The study involved 54 healthy young adults who were awake for 30 consecutive hours and then randomly assigned to either a 20-minute cycling session, a 90-minute nap, or a control condition. Memory for images was tested three days later, with both groups showing significant improvements compared to the control group. While the benefits of exercise and napping were nearly identical, brain recordings showed that napping helped the brain recharge and facilitate the encoding of new information, while exercise improved the efficient use of remaining cognitive resources without increasing fatigue. These findings could inform strategies to manage fatigue in high-risk workplaces, such as healthcare, transportation, and emergency response. Although exercise cannot replace sleep, it may help individuals function better when rest is not possible.",
  "summary": "A short workout or a nap can help protect memory after a sleepless night, a McGill University-led study has found.",
  "key_points": [
    "Short exercise or 90-minute nap improve memory after sleepless night",
    "20-minute cycling or nap boosts memory performance 22% in study",
    "Napping helps brain recharge, exercise optimizes cognitive resources"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}