Studies have shown that a good night’s rest helps us stay healthy, both mentally and physically. And researchers say sleep is probably the best tool we have for memory and learning. Michael Twery is director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research at America’s National Institutes of Health. Twery is an expert on the science of sleep and sleep disorders. He told me that a good night’s sleep helps us to learn better. “Getting a good night’s sleep is important for the learning and memory process. It’s important because it stores the training exercises and the learning exercises into our more permanent memory while we're sleeping 7-8 hours in bed. And then the next morning when you wake up your mind is better prepared to act on that information.” But what about getting rest during the middle of the day? Short periods of sleep may help our brains work better, or so says a recent study on napping.