A nap is a short sleep taken during the day to recover from exhaustion and hard work. A nap, which can last anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, can help adults rejuvenate.
Napping two or three times a week, according to studies, may be beneficial to your heart health.
Napping Health benefits:
- Improves performance: According to reports, naps can boost alertness, reaction time, and logical reasoning skills.
- Boost your memory: Researchers have shown that people who learn new tasks recall them better after taking a short nap.
- Help you deal with irritation: Studies have shown that people are less impulsive and can deal with frustration better after a noon nap.
However, Naps can cause problems to your body as well:
- Sleep inertia: It is a type of sleep from which waking up is difficult, and if you do, you feel drowsy and confused. This can make it difficult to do high-functioning tasks or tasks that need memory recall for a short period.
- Insomnia: Sleeping throughout the day raises your chances of having sleepless nights, which might make your job more difficult. People would take a long nap the next day and then have a bad night’s sleep the next night.
- Reduce your lifespan: Long naps increased the risk of all-cause mortality by 27%, whereas short midday naps increased the risk by 7%.
- Serious Health Issues: Napping for more than 30 minutes has been linked to serious health issues such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. According to one study, naps of more than 60 minutes per day raised the incidence of type 2 diabetes by 50%.
Tips for Napping:
- Aim for a short nap of 10 to 20 minutes.
- Early afternoon naps are recommended.
- Take a nap in a dark, quiet location with a cosy room, cool temperature and a few distractions.
- Make scheduled naps a part of your everyday routine.
- Avoid alcohol, tea, and caffeine late in the day because they can all disturb sleep quality.
- Turn off technology at least one hour before bedtime.
- Workouts during the day can help you get a better night’s sleep.
Although an afternoon nap is usually harmless, it might cause health problems if it is taken frequently and for a long time. Setting a phone alarm for a 20-30 minute “power nap” is one approach to avoid taking a daytime nap while also helping to reset your internal clock.
A good night’s sleep is eight hours long, and if you can’t obtain it, seek professional treatment.