Many of us are sleep deprived in this modern society. The power naps will actually be a benefit to us all.
Napping can help boost our brains, improving problem-solving, verbal memory, perceptual learning, object learning, and statistical learning. This can result in improving our reaction time, helping with math, logical reasoning, treating fatigue and also improve our moods.
This can also help to alleviate stress, assists in weight management, better heart health and lowers blood pressure.
Naps can be put into three different categories based on the National Sleep Foundation,
— Planned napping (preparatory napping) is taking a nap before actually gets sleepy. Planned napping helps to prevent tiredness and fatigue when someone knows that he will be up later than the normal bedtime.
— Emergency napping. This occurs when someone suddenly feels very tired and can’t continue with the work. Drowsy driving or fatigue while using heavy and dangerous machinery can be treated with this nap.
— Habitual napping. This is a nap which was taken at the same time each day. Young children usually fall asleep at about the same time every afternoon, or some adults take a short nap every day after lunch.
According to a Greek study, adult men who napped 3 times a week were 37% less likely to die from a heart-related illness compared to others who didn’t nap.
There are many countries who customarily nap too such as the famous siesta in Spain. The USA and UK suffer the most heart attacks worldwide as the leading cause of death as they are not very supportive of napping in the afternoons.
Not only do naps improve mental function, but they also provide physiological benefits, boosting rejuvenation.
NASA came forth with a groundbreaking study in 1995 and they evaluated the effects of 747 pilots taking naps, allowed 40 min a day and found vigilance performance improvements from 16% in median reaction time to 34% in lapses compared to the No-Rest Group.
According to the studies done in 2008, the naps actually work better than caffeine in improving mental functioning.
A short nap has many benefits and the time you take the nap will determine the benefits you’ll experience:
20 Minute Nap – It enhances memory, mental alertness, and motor learning skills.
20 To 30 Minute Nap – It boosts creativity and boosts memory.
30 To 60 Minute Nap – It enhances decision-making skills and memory
60 To 90 Minute Nap – It ensures REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, so it is the most beneficial nap type. It helps you reset the brain, and has a dramatic effect on the problem-solving skills.
You can have a lot of benefits from a nap during the day. You may find that napping could hinder your already trying sleeping pattern unless you suffer from a sleeping disorder.
