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How Naps Can Keep You Happy and Healthy By Barbra Williams Cosentino
Bestselling author Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote, "We sleep to recharge our bodies. We nap to care for our souls." And the best news is that not only do naps feel good, but they are (mostly) good for you.
The National Sleep Foundation Sleep Health Index 2014 reported that 53% of adults nap regularly, defined as napping at least once every week. Men tend to nap more often than women. Older people and retired individuals are also more frequent nappers. There are several types of naps: • Recovery naps, sometimes called replacement naps, make up for lost sleep. • Planned prophylactic naps, taken when you anticipate losing sleep, prepare you for a late night out. • Appetitive naps (my favorite) are taken just for the sheer joy of it! Naps increase energy, improve reaction time and reduce daytime sleepiness. They lower stress and help to regulate mood, reducing anxiety and depression and inducing relaxation. They enhance creativity, increase productivity, boost problem-solving abilities and improve many cognitive abilities.
"Naps are beneficial for memory because the brain is 'offline,' not taking in any new information, yet is actively consolidating memories," says Marissa Bowman, a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh.
As we get older, there are more episodes of nighttime waking and earlier morning awakening. Can you compensate for this with a daytime nap? A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that, depending on its length and timing, a nap can help to increase total sleep time without affecting nighttime sleep quality or duration, and provides measurable cognitive benefits.
Wondering how long a snooze to take? "Power naps," 20 to 30 minutes long, allow you to wake up refreshed and rejuvenated, giving you added pep on a day when you're dragging.
"The duration and timing of what is sometimes called a 'strategic nap' is important," says Bowman.
"The best time is usually early afternoon, when bodies are programmed to need sleep and you might naturally feel a dip in your alertness."
Read more stories like this on Next Avenue.
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