It is fairly well understood that a good night’s sleep helps us learn better.
Now scientists have discovered people who take short breaks while learning a new skill make more gains than after a night's sleep.
In a Study at the USA National Institutes of Health 33 right-handed volunteers were shown a five-digit code "41234" on a screen and asked to type it out with their left hands as many times as possible for 10 seconds and then take a 10 second break. Subjects were asked to repeat this cycle of alternating practice and rest sessions a total of 35 times.