It’s been over 30 years since NASA embarked upon their highly influential sleep studies, the findings of which form the basis for many of today’s assertions about the benefits of naps.

It’s been around 30 years since NASA embarked upon their highly influential sleep studies, the findings of which form the basis for many of today’s assertions about the benefits of naps.

So, what did they stumble upon that was so revolutionary?

In short they discovered that napping makes people better at their jobs.

They specifically studied pilots by working with the FAA to determine what type of effects taking a nap in the cockpit had on those flying long distances.

Participants were culled and separated into two groups – not surprisingly, those were pilots who napped and pilots who didn’t. The resting group was given 40 minutes per flight to take a snooze.

All of them were assigned an itinerary that took them between Japan, Hawaii and Los Angeles. They took 4 trips within the 6 days of scientific observation.

Each participant was measured before, during, and after each flight for levels of alertness including response times and performance lapses. EEG machines were used to ensure optimal accuracy.

The results were the often cited statistical assessment that those who nap get a 34 percent boost in performance and are 100 percent more physiologically alert.