I know what you’re thinking. “You want me to take naps? After all the sleepless nights I’ve had?” Well, yes! Napping is great for sleep and can help you be more alert at work or school. In fact, there are a few important health benefits associated with napping. So go ahead—take a nap!
How Long Should Your Nap Be?
You might think that the ideal length of a nap is about an hour, but that’s not the case. As it turns out, napping for 20 minutes or less will make you feel more alert and refreshed than if you were to sleep for longer periods of time.
If you nap too long (more than 30 minutes), then there’s a chance that your body will go into a deep sleep and not be able to return to REM sleep at night when it’s time for bedtime. If this happens repeatedly over time, it can lead to serious issues with insomnia and even chronic depression!
Benefits of Napping.
Naps can help you manage stress, but only if you do them at the right time.
If you’re feeling stressed and need a quick break from work or school, a nap is your best bet for relaxation and rejuvenation. Naps can also help make you more productive by allowing your brain to rest so that it’s ready for whatever comes next on your agenda. A short power nap may even allow some people who suffer from chronic insomnia to get their sleep cycles back on track without medication (though not everyone finds this effective).
Naps can help you stay focused and alert. Did you know that taking a quick nap can boost your ability to pay attention? A study published in the journal Nature Communications found that when people took a 40-minute nap after being awake for 17 hours, they were better able to focus on tasks than people who didn’t sleep at all. The researchers believe this is because napping helps clear out any lingering drowsiness from lack of sleep–and allows your brain time to process what it learned while awake.
Naps also make us more productive at work, according to another study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: It found that employees who took naps were more creative and had better problem-solving skills than those who did not take naps during their breaks (or even during lunch). This could be because when we sleep deeply enough for long enough periods (more than 20 minutes), our brains enter REM cycles–which have been shown by other research studies to play an important role in creativity and problem-solving!
It’s no secret that napping is one of the best ways to recharge your batteries and refresh your mind. But did you know that napping may also help reduce the risk of heart disease?
A recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that napping for just 20 minutes can help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels in adults 50 years old or older. This makes sense when you consider how much stress we put on our bodies during our waking hours, whether it be from work or other daily activities like cooking dinner or cleaning the house.
If you’re the type of person who struggles with snacking and overeating, taking a nap during the day might help reduce your appetite after dinner. A study published in the journal Obesity found that people who took short naps (20 minutes) were less likely to snack on junk food than those who didn’t snooze at all. This is likely because sleep helps regulate hormones such as leptin and ghrelin–both involved in appetite regulation–which means that when we don’t get enough sleep (or enough quality), our bodies produce more hunger-related signals than usual. So, if this sounds like you, consider grabbing some shut-eye before dinner!
Nap to reap all these benefits!
One of the most common benefits of napping is a boost in mood. That’s because naps can help reduce stress, which is a big contributor to negative emotions like sadness and anger. The reason for this is that they provide an opportunity for your body and mind to rest or recharge after being awake for extended periods of time.
Napping also helps with memory retention by improving your ability to focus on tasks at hand (hence why it’s important not to nap during work hours). It’s also been shown that napping improves creativity by allowing new ideas or solutions to come into play when you’re asleep–though it should be noted that this doesn’t mean you’ll wake up with an epiphany; rather, these moments will happen while dreaming during REM sleep stages later in your slumbering state!
If you have time for a nap, we recommend taking one. Napping is a great way to recharge your batteries and make it through the day feeling refreshed. If you’re looking for something more substantial than just closing your eyes on the couch, try our recipe for a perfect bedtime snack!