What are artificial naps and can they replace real sleep? Everything you need to know

An afternoon nap can re-energise and improve productivity in the second half of the day. But what if you could get the same benefits without actually falling asleep? In a groundbreaking new study, scientists have taken a major step toward creating 'artificial naps' through brain stimulation.
Artificial naps are basically short periods of brain stimulation designed to mimic the restorative effects of sleep without actually sleeping. They aim to boost alertness, memory, and cognitive function similar to a real nap. Here's how scientists achieved a major breakthrough in creating artificial naps in a study on monkeys.
The published in Science, involved a group of macaque monkeys that were trained to carry out visual perception tasks. Divided in two groups, those in the first one took short non-REM naps after completing a round of tests, while others just rested without napping. It was discovered that those who napped performed significantly better on follow-up tasks.
While this part of the study established the benefits of a quick nap. The next leg was even more exciting. While analysing data from the sleeping monkeys, researchers found a key feature of the post-nap brain was reduced synchronization between neurons. This means, their brain cells were firing less in unison and that led to sharper perception.


To recreate the effect of sleep, without actually sleeping, the team of researchers used low-frequency electrical pulses that mimicked the delta brain waves usually seen during non-REM sleep.
When applied to the visual regions of awake monkeys, it produced comparable neural desynchronization and resulted in similar enhancements in task performance.

As insomnia is becoming a major problem and more and more people suffer from daytime sleepiness and tiredness, the concept of artificial naps seems promising. This can be a way to boost cognitive function in people who for some reason aren't able to sleep properly at night or don't feel sufficiently rested.

In the current study, implanted electrodes were used. However, the researchers are working on a noninvasive version suitable for human use.
This research aligns with ongoing efforts to induce dream-like experiences without actual sleep, aiming to deliver some of the benefits associated with REM sleep. Scientists have long been exploring methods to replicate the advantages of sleep without the need for a full sleep cycle.
Perhaps, there will be one day, when humans won't need sleep anymore, and technology will take over the job of recharging our minds and bodies in mere minutes.