Napping & Your Well-being

Napping & Your Well-being 
by Anna Wagner (Guest Author - FIT Major in Fragrance and Cosmetics) & Dr. Shamil 

You may think that napping is an extra indulgence, and that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night is enough. But taking out small chunks of time in the day for extra sleep can result in some powerful benefits. And these benefits are not only for your physical health, but they can help boost your work performance and mental health as well.

One of the biggest benefits of napping is boosting your alertness. When your brain is deprived of sleep it impairs your memory and ability to process and learn. These things can be dangerous when driving or performing certain tasks at work. A study done by NASA found that alertness was increased by 100% after a 40-minute nap. Sleep experts however suggest that just a 20-30-minute nap is beneficial. Another study found that breaking up your day around naps allows you to be as alert for the second part of your day, and less likely to make mistakes.

Another great benefit of a midday nap is its ability in improving learning and memory. A study done in Germany found that a one-hour nap can improve memory performance by five times. Tests done on the brain showed that sleep boosts the hippocampus’ ability to consolidate information. It will also help with memory retention. During sleep your recent memories are sent to the part of the brain where long term memories are stored.

Naps are not just useful for keeping you feeling fresh but are essential in boosting work performance. Research has shown that sleep deprivation costs the United States $63 billion every year in lost productivity. Short naps have can prevent burnout from overwork and allow for you to be more focused on tasks. Napping can even give you a higher tolerance for frustration, which helps in tasks where you can easily make mistakes.

And most importantly naps give your body more time through the day to restore itself. Depriving your body of sleep creates an excess of a hormone called cortisol. Problems associated with excess cortisol include lowered immunity, hypertension, increased fat deposits, and many other health complications. But sleep fights this releasing a growth hormone which reverses the effects of cortisol. Lack of sleep will also trigger hormones that make you feel hungry and more likely to gain weight. Other benefits of include lowered blood sugar and lowered blood pressure. Studies show that an hour-long nap reduced patients’ blood pressure readings at an average of 5 percent throughout the day. This supports a healthy heart and reduces the risk of cardiovascular events.

A daytime nap can also assist in reducing the effects of brain aging. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that is driven by the production of a toxic chemical called peptide betaamyloid. However, this chemical can be brought under control by sleeping soundly. Hour long naps were found to boost brain functions and cognition of older adults.

Perhaps one of the most effective ways of napping is the caffeine nap. This may seem like an oxymoron but drinking a cup of coffee before a 20-minute nap can be a wonderful way to boost your performance and this is more effective than either just drinking a cup of coffee or just taking a nap. It takes 20 minutes for the effects of caffeine to work on your body. If you take a nap directly after, just as you’re waking up you’ll feel the effects of caffeine kick in. When you’re awake your body accumulates adenosine, a chemical that's responsible for that drowsy feeling. By napping for 20 minutes, while the caffeine is still being processed in the body, you reduce the amount of adenosine the caffeine must compete with when you wake up. So, not only will you have the perks of your body reviving itself, but you’ll get that signature alert feeling from caffeine with little to no grogginess that you sometimes typically experience following a nap.

Keep in mind to watch out for a few nap related pitfalls though. Finding the right sleeping environment is essential to getting the full benefits of a nap. Sleeping in your office chair may just leave you feeling as groggy as before. Experts suggest taking a nap around midday, not too early or close when you go to bed. Maximize your nap or sleep environment by turning off electronics and keep your room cool and dark.


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