Sara C. Mednick

Like many readers, I am an expert in napping. Rather than my expertise coming only from being an avid napper, I also know a lot about napping and sleep because I’m a cognitive neuroscientist with a focus on sleep and napping. In 2003, I received a PhD in psychology from Harvard University. My dissertation work put napping on the map as an excellent tool for improving memory performance that was as powerful as a full night of sleep. I wrote a book entitled, “Take a Nap! Change your Life.”, about my research findings and how people can get more out of their 24-hour day through napping. After graduate school, I moved to the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA with a National Institute of Health (NIH) funded fellowship. In 2011, I became faculty at University of California, Riverside in the Department of Psychology. My research has been continuously well-funded from the NIH, National Science Foundation, The Office of Naval Research and DARPA. My scientific research is published in leading scientific journals such as Nature Neuroscience and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, as well as popular media outlets, including CNN, Reuters TV, NPR, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports Health Journal, Reader's Digest, The New York Times and many others. Please check out my website and email for more information: www.sleepandcognitionlab.com and saramednick (@) gmail (dot) com