Some German researchers have concluded that just six minutes of napping can sharpen your memory.

The scientists did this by testing subjects' ability to memorize a list of 30 words. The team from the University of Düsseldorf found that those who napped for about 6 minutes in the hour before testing remembered on average one more word than people who stayed awake for the entire hour playing video games.

The researchers suggest that the mere onset of sleep may trigger memory consolidation.

Some caveats: The study, described in this month's Journal of Sleep Research, used just 26 subjects. And sleep experts stress that nothing replaces a good night's sleep. See the Insomnia Blog here.

The question also remains, where could you even take a six-minute nap during work? At your desk? In your car? In the bathroom?

I always thought George Costanza was onto something when he built a place to nap under his desk. Of course, he had his own office, and even then, not everything always goes according to plan...

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