Sleep Boosts Memory. But What About Napping?

This post will go out on my Mr Salles Teaches English Substack later this week.

But I think this will be really useful to teachers for 3 reasons:

1. The research on napping and memory is really useful.

2. The use of AI to summarise and make the research memorable is fascinating and quick.

3. The ability of AI to be playful is brilliant for exploring authorial voice, and will lead to many teaching ideas which, I believe, will motivate boys to do better in English. Girls will also do better - I don’t care about the gaps.

So, you all know that memories grow when you sleep. Pulling an all nighter before an exam predicts you will do badly. Not only will you have a sloppy memory, you’ll be too tired to blitz your paper with the fast handwriting you need.

But what about the research on napping? You can read the research here.

To help me make ideas memorable, I now do 3 things:

1. Write notes from memory, then check to see what I missed. You should watch my videos that way.

2. Make flashcards from the new notes, to test myself.

3. But now I have a new method - ask Gemini to summarise it for me in an interesting voice. Let me show you:

This is what I asked Gemini:

Can you summarise this research for 16 year old students. Be engaging and amusing. Write in the voice of Kim Kardashian.

Hey all you busy bees! Wanna know the secret to acing that bio test without, like, totally stressing or turning into a zombie? It's not what you think! Forget cramming all night with venti iced coffees (major no-no for sleep!), because science says there's a way better hack.

Imagine this: you're hitting the books, but your brain feels like mush. Should you power through or, like, catch some major Zzz's? Believe it or not, a power nap might be the ultimate study buddy!

Researchers put some students to the test (literally!). They studied some facts, then chilled for an hour. One group napped, another crammed, and the rest watched a movie (because, duh, who wouldn't want to take a break with a movie?). Guess who remembered more stuff? The nappers! #NapQueen.

Here's the tea: cramming might give you a short-term memory bump, but that info fades faster than your latest Insta story. Naps, on the other hand, help solidify those facts in your brain for the long haul, kinda like how your Insta pics stay up forever (well, hopefully).

But wait, there's more! Naps gotta be on point. A quick 15-30 minute snooze is the sweet spot. Any longer, and you might wake up feeling confused, like you just binged a whole season of some crazy reality show. Plus, a long nap in the afternoon might mess up your nighttime sleep schedule, which is a whole other beauty disaster (tired eyes are not the look!).

The real key here is getting enough sleep in general. Aim for 8-10 hours a night, babes. That's when your brain does its magic memory filing. Think of it like organizing your closet – you gotta put those clothes away properly, or you'll never find anything!

Sleep also helps you focus, be more creative, and even keeps you healthy (hello, glowing skin!). So ditch the all-nighters and prioritize your beauty sleep. You can even take short study breaks throughout the day, but instead of a nap, try a quick workout. It'll give you an energy boost and help you remember things better.

So there you have it! Ditch the cramming, catch some Zzz's, and watch your grades go glam!

Well, I don’t know Kim Kardashian from a bowl of peaches, so I tried someone I know well.

Now can you summarise it again, but in the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Listen up, students! You want to crush that exam like you crush your enemies in the gym? Then forget about burning the midnight oil! Science says there's a better way.

Imagine your brain is a muscle. You pump it with facts all day, but it's getting tired. What do you do with a tired muscle? You rest it! That's right, a power nap can be your secret weapon.

We did a study. We put students through their paces, then gave them a break. Some napped, some crammed information like a crazed fanboy, and others…well, let's just say they slacked off with a movie. Guess who remembered the most stuff? The nappers!

Cramming is all show and no pump. That knowledge disappears faster than yesterday's protein shake. Napping recharges your brain and locks in those facts like a vault.

But listen close. Naps are like bodybuilding – gotta do it right. A quick 15-30 minute nap is the golden ticket. Any longer, and you'll wake up feeling more confused than after a philosophical debate with Donald Trump. Naps too late in the day mess up your sleep schedule too, and nobody wants that – tired eyes are a losing game.

The key is getting enough sleep overall. 8 to 10 hours a night, that's the magic number. Sleep is like the ultimate training montage for your brain. It strengthens your focus, boosts your creativity, and keeps you healthy – and looking like a winner.

Forget the all-nighters. Prioritize sleep, and take short breaks to hit the gym instead of napping. A good workout will energize you and sharpen your memory like a champion's sword.

Now go out there and dominate those exams! And remember, I believe in you!

Added Bonus for Persuasive Writing

This is fun. Pick someone you look up to, or would like to make fun of. Then try a persuasive piece of writing playing with their voice.

Imagine we have to argue about the benefits of problems with school uniform:

You know who I am: massive guns, massive ego, the Terminator of mediocrity, putting the A into the Hollywood A list. Arnie.

But you should also know me as the Governator, two terms as governor of California. Two terms running the sixth largest economy in the world. You think I did that with my muscles? You think I did that showing off my 6 time Mr Olympia winning physique, trading on my appearance and fame?

Paid subscribers on Mr Salles Teaches English get the rest of my 40/40 version of this. But this is enough to show you how playful ideas can lead to quality writing.

I’ve deliberately packed this with quite a lot of context - students who have a figure in mind will have a similar level of contextual information to play with.

This isn’t just for boys. Imagine a Swiftie having a go at the same approach!