Nap benefits for adults – What benefit are there to having an afternoon nap every day?
In the most recent sleep studies, it has shown that having a nap in the afternoon is great for adults as well as our children.
Let me put on the myths about napping in the bin where it belongs – that being napping is just for babies. It is simply not true. Recent studies show having an afternoon nap is great for adults, as well. I want to dispel the thoughts that there’s an association with being or feeling lazy with regards to naps. By those who think others appear to indulge in having asleep in the daytime. To list just a few of the benefits of a short nap mid-afternoon are ease stress, boost memory, make you more alert, improve job performance, and lifts your mood. In my opinion, these nap benefits are worth a cozy up.
Let us take a closer look at those benefits.
Improving Your Memory
Studies regarding sleep have highlighted the vital role sleep plays in our ability to store memories. By having a nap, it helps you remember & retain the information you learned earlier in the day. Just as beneficially as when we have a full night’s sleep. Specific areas linked to keeping us from forgetting during naps are things such as our verbal recall, motor skills, and sense perception too.
Ability to connecting the dots quicker and easier
Napping not only help us remember things you just learned, it also plays a significant part in helping our brain draw easier and quicker connections between the things you find out. In one study on naps, the results showed very distinctively that the nappers found putting the information they have earlier that day to be much quicker and easier to understand and retain.
Enhance your performances – helping you climb that achievement ladder
In a recent study, it noted that when participants involved were asked to do the same task throughout the day. Repeatedly, their performance got steadily worse as the day went on. The studies, therefore, have shown by having a nap during the day helps you stay and be more consistent.
Lifts Your Mood
A simple request – if you feel down – try a nap to help lift your spirits. By napping, or even merely resting for an hour if you cannot fall asleep, can change, and brighten your outlook. Many experts can prove that the relaxation that occurs from lying down and resting is a mood booster, regardless of if you fall asleep or not.
Alertness – Needing to be more alert? Then nap
Can you relate to those feelings of sleepiness right after lunch? Good news – you are not alone. This feeling of post-lunch struggle is real. The best and simple way to help is a 20-minute nap. Helping you win that battle over heavy eyelids.
Significant benefits to short naps.
A short nap for as little as 10 minutes can be hugely beneficial. By keeping the nap to 30 minutes or less – you will find you wake up not feeling tired. If when you do nap, and you wake to feel groggy, you have slept too long. That feeling is called sleep inertia. So, to avoid this be aware of how long you nap for. Simply put, the longer you nap, the more likely you are to wake with that feeling. Which then defeats the purpose of the nap due to the simple fact you will find you need more time to wake up be able to transition back to work fully.
Having a nap is always better than caffeine
When a nap and having caffeine compared, the results for a nap were better. By having it nap it proved that it could ensure better memory and learning as a result. So, should you find yourself feeling tired, however, have work or studying to do? It will be more beneficial to you to take a nap than sip a coffee. Napping, compared to caffeine, increases memory and learning.
A Nap will help that long night ahead.
Should you find yourself resorting to having caffeine, it is best only to drink a small amount. Rather than a large cup. An example. You know, in advance, your diary is not going to allow for much sleep. Say a night or two due to travel. Then you are much better off preparing with a nap ahead of time, instead of powering those days fuelled with caffeine. Simply put – the longer the nap, the better it will be. If the situation does resort to drinking caffeine, drink a small amount often is proven to be best.
Eases Stress
When you find yourself under a lot of pressure due to work, study, or life, then a nap can help significantly by releasing that stress while it improves your immune health>Being the primary function of sleep. A 30-minute nap is all that is required to do the trick.
Good for Your Heart
The studies had found when people who napped for 45 to 60 minutes, blood pressure reduced after they were required to do various mental stressors. The benefits of a nap for your heart are very noticeable. The nap helps your body recover from any pressure-filled situations.
Your creativity increases.
During REM sleep, – that typically occurs 70 to 90 minutes after you fall asleep – activates in this part of our brain that is associated with dreaming and our imagination. Have you ever found yourself waking up with a great idea? A nap that continues REM sleep helps you combine ideas into new methods and ways to come up with the needed and new answers.
Sleep better at night because of a nap
Although seemly illogical, by taking a nap during the day can improve sleep at night in adults. Recent studies reveal how a 30-minute nap between the hours of 1 pm and 3 pm combined with a form of moderate exercise. Such as a walk and stretching in the evening. Has the most significantly improves the quality and length of the amount of night-time sleep achieved. We were feeling improvements in both our mental and physical health.
Beneficial to our little ones too
It seems that many of our preschool-age children have been encouraged to stop their daytime nap long before they enter kindergarten. The fact is – for learning and development to be at their optimum for this age, naps would be a huge and essential factor for them to achieve their best. Children that regularly nap show the ability to recall things they have learned much more significantly. Due to their short-term memories being stores at this young age are limited. Meaning younger kids need to sleep much more frequently, which means it the most critical way in which brain stores and recalls memories.
Creating them as a habit
As we know, there are certain benefits of napping can be felt by anyone. Some evidence suggests naps only improve a particular style and types of learning – where a person regularly naps. A nap shows to promote and includes their ability to tell the difference between similar things. Such as in images or textures.
A Nap, when, and why should we have one?
As with most things in life, the benefits of having a nap is the timing of it. With most benefits felt by people in having that afternoon snooze. Due to the time being helpful and most natural. With most reporting, sleep is best between 2 – 3 pm. You are due to when the natural alertness of a human takes a dip. What you will discover is there will be a time that works best for you. It will depend on various factors, such as how well-rested you are, to start. Should you find yourself already well-rested, then you will find that a slightly later nap is maybe better for you. While if you are behind with your sleep, you will need and wish to nap earlier.
What is the next step with regards your sleep?
Should you feel your sleep is still very variable, and, you have tried the suggestion without success. Then I would like to extend you the free offer of an initial 15 min introductory call.
During this call, it allows us the opportunity to introduce ourselves further. It will enable us both to find out more about each other, and what help you need with your sleep. It also allows for an opportunity for me to explain how I work, touching upon the various programs I offer – those being either the sleep sense program or, (if more appropriate) a holistic sleep program.
Sleep does not have to a struggle – there are methods and programs out there to help. Let’s make today the day you change your life. I look forward to speaking with you and the opportunity to work with you to improve your quality of life for the better.