How to Get Better Grades in School: Nap for Success

If you're looking for that extra boost for writing your final exam, try taking a nap. According to a Harvard Medical School study, those who nap and dream about a specific task actually perform that task better when they wake up, compared to those who don't sleep or sleep but don't dream.

The actual study tested various participants who sat in front of a computer screen, looking at a three-dimensional maze. Five hours later, they were told to find a landmark tree after being placed in a random location within the maze. The results found that those who had a nap and remembered dreaming of the task navigated their way to the tree in less time.

While napping can be a useful tool in students studying arsenal, one has to be careful not to abuse this power. Make sure you don't nap for too long as you'll end up forgetting to finish your studying. Make sure you find a time in the day when napping actually works for you. There are many people, myself included, that wake up after a nap and feel awful depending on the time. I prefer to nap at around four or five in the afternoon, but if I take a nap any earlier I don't want to study and I tend to be very cranky.

Regardless, napping can be very beneficial to those wanting to get every advantage possible going into their exams. Napping will help your brain remember the material you've been studying and although I'm not sure, I'm willing to bet that napping helps eliminate some of that tension you feel going into those tests.