Dreaming Makes You Smart

If studying hard makes you sleepy, you may as well indulge. New research from Harvard Medical School suggests that dreaming about a new piece of information helps you remember it. The findings could help improve memory and learning. Students, for instance, may be better off studying before bedtime or taking a post-study snooze.

The study, published in Cell Biology, asked people to study a 3D computer maze, reports the BBC. A few hours later, those who were allowed to nap—and remembered dreaming of the puzzle—found their way most quickly. "The dreams might reflect the brain's attempt to find associations for the memories that could make them more useful in the future," said one researcher. (More dreams stories.)