Taking Daytime Naps Could Reduce Stress And Increase Your Health

By Mayukh Saha

Are you one of the hundreds who binge-watch shows or work till late at night? Do you dose off in class or feel disoriented in a meeting? Well, research by the American Sleep Association has proved that more than 35% of American adults get less than 7 hours of sleep at night and around 50-70% have a sleeping disorder. You need to nap more often.

Sleeping is important for your mind and body to function properly. If you are consistently sleeping less than 7 to 9 hours at night then you might severe consequences. Prolonged lack of sleep can affect the nervous system and your metabolism rate. It can also lead to chronic systemic inflammation which is associated with diabetes, arthritis, gastric troubles, depression, anxiety, and a lot of other problems. Your ability to process information, perform, and remember things can also get affected due to chronic sleep deprivation.

What is the possible solution for this problem? All of us are leading fast-paced lives without having time to sit and relax. let alone sleep. Remember the good old childhood days when you could take blissful naps in the afternoon? As much as you hated it back then, it was beneficial for your health. Experts are suggesting that it is important to catch up on sleep during the day if you want to stay healthy.

What did Sir Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein have in common? Their routine of taking small naps. If you aren’t able to sleep for 7 to 9 hours at night, then you can snooze for 60-90 minutes during the day. The nap will have the same effect on your brain. A study conducted by Harvard University proved that naps increase one’s ability to learn more and remember things.

Naps are also good for your heart. According to a study published in the BMJ Journal, people who took only two naps a week had a lower chance of any cardiovascular diseases compared to those who did not nap at all. Dr. Kristine Yaffe, and Yue Leng, Ph.D., of the University of California, added that the frequency of the naps is as important as the duration.

Bill Anthony, director of the Harvard University Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center comments that taking regular naps can reduce the production of the hormone responsible for stress, cortisol. Lack of sleep affects your nervous system; and small triggers like being stuck in a traffic jam can lead to an anxiety attack.

Instead of drinking cups of coffee, try napping more if you want to stay alert. However, experts believe that a 20- to 30-minute nap is sufficient, and more than that may hamper your sleeping pattern. Find a cozy and dimly lit place to nap and do it in the early afternoon. Get rid of your mobile phone or any other thing that can disrupt your nap time.

Do not jolt yourself out of the nap. Give yourself some time to get back to your work, otherwise you will end up feeling more irritated. Take it slow and you will see your attention span has increased.

Nap more to do more!

Article source: Truth Theory

Image credit: maridav

Hey! Message me. I am Mayukh. I help people and websites with content, videos, design, and social media management. I am an avid traveler and I started living as a digital nomad in Europe since 2019. I am currently working on www.noetbook.com – a creative media company. You can reach out to me anytime: justmayukh@gmail.com Love, Mayukh Read More stories by Mayukh Saha

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