New Delhi: A short afternoon nap can restore the brain's capacity to learn in much the same way as a full night's sleep, according to a new international study.

Researchers from the universities of Freiburg in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland found that even brief daytime sleep helps reorganise connections between nerve cells, enabling the brain to store new information more effectively.

During waking hours, the brain continuously processes new impressions and experiences, strengthening synaptic connections. While this process supports learning, excessive strengthening can lead to saturation and reduce the brain's ability to absorb fresh information, the researchers said.

Sleep plays a key role in regulating this activity without erasing important memories. The study found that this “synaptic reset” can also occur during a short afternoon nap.

“Our results suggest that even brief periods of sleep enhance the brain's capacity to encode new information,” said study leader Dr Christoph Nissen of the Medical Center-University of Freiburg.

The study involved 20 healthy young adults who either took an average 45-minute nap or remained awake on two separate afternoons.

Using non-invasive techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and EEG, researchers observed that naps reduced overall synaptic strength while improving the brain's ability to form new connections.

The findings were published in the journal NeuroImage.