Napping for even just 10 minutes during the day can have many benefits, including boosting alertness, enhancing learning, and lowering your blood pressure.
Finding the time for a quick snooze offers a lot of benefits. A quick nap can enhance your performance, increase alertness, and improve your mood. The key to napping is to keep naps short —
When you nap for 10 to 20 minutes, you enter into the first and sometimes second stages of sleep. That’s just enough to refresh you and get the benefits associated with napping.
During true sleep your body has the opportunity to complete all five stages of the sleep cycle a few times, which for most healthy adults repeats every
When you go into deeper sleep, your brain becomes less responsive to external stimuli, making it harder to wake up and increasing the likelihood of grogginess and fatigue.
The health benefits of napping have been scientifically proven. Here’s a look at what a quick power nap can do for you.
Improved performance
Various studies have found that daytime naps ranging from 10 to 30 minutes can increase performance and make you more productive at work. Naps have been shown to improve:
- psychom*otor speed
- reaction time
- alertness
Enhanced learning
Based on various studies, napping during the day can improve your learning skills. Not only does napping improve your focus and memory, which can help you learn and retain information, but
The benefits of napping on learning begin early on. A
Lower blood pressure
New research shows that a midday nap can significantly lower blood pressure. The results of a study presented at the 2019 American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session shows that midday sleep appears to be just as effective in lowering blood pressure levels as other lifestyle changes, such as cutting salt and alcohol consumption.
The study found that on average, naps lowered blood pressure by 5 mm Hg. This is also comparable to taking a low-dose blood pressure medication, which usually lowers blood pressure 5 to 7 mm Hg.
Just a 2 mm Hg drop in blood pressure can reduce your risk of a heart attack by as much as 10 percent.
Better mood
Napping during the day can improve your mood. Short naps boost energy levels and help get you over the afternoon slump. They’ve also been linked to increased positivity and a better tolerance for frustration.
Taking a quick nap can also help you feel less tired and irritable if you didn’t get a good night’s sleep the previous night.
While napping has been shown to offer numerous health benefits, it can produce side effects and even have negative consequences for your health when not timed properly or if you have certain underlying conditions.
Naps that exceed 20 minutes can increase sleep inertia, which leaves you feeling groggy and disoriented. This happens when you awake from a deep sleep. If you’re already sleep-deprived, the symptoms of sleep inertia tend to be more severe and last longer.
Napping too long or too late in the day can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. This is even worse for people with insomnia who already have trouble sleeping at night.
Longer daytime naps have also been associated with a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, according to a
Limiting your naps to 10 to 20 minutes can leave you feeling more alert and refreshed. More than that, especially longer than 30 minutes, is likely to leave you feeling sluggish, groggy, and more tired than before you closed your eyes.
The exception to this is if you’re sleep-deprived and have the luxury of being able to nap long enough to complete a full sleep cycle, which is at least 90 minutes.
The best time to take a nap depends on individual factors like your sleep schedule and age. For most people, napping early in the afternoon is the best way to go. Napping after 3 p.m. can interfere with nighttime sleep.
Children and adults have different sleep needs and these continue to change throughout our lifetime. Figuring out how long naps should be will depend on how much sleep you need per night and how much you’re actually getting.
In children, the recommendation for nap times varies with age as follows:
- 0 to 6 months: two or three daytime naps lasting from 30 minutes to 2 hours each
- 6 to 12 months: two naps a day, lasting from 20 minutes to a few hours
- 1 to 3 years: one afternoon nap lasting 1 to 3 hours
- 3 to 5 years: one afternoon nap lasting 1 or 2 hours
- 5 to 12 years: no nap needed if they’re getting the recommended 10 or 11 hours of sleep per night
A healthy adult doesn’t need to nap, but can benefit from a nap of 10 to 20 minutes, or 90 to 120 when sleep-deprived. There is some
Getting too much or too little sleep can have negative effects and both can be an indicator of an underlying issue.
Sleeping too much can leave you feeling groggy long after you get up. Oversleeping has been linked to an increased risk of a number of conditions, including:
- heart disease
- obesity
- type 2 diabetes
- early death
Too little sleep can also have a number of negative effects on your health. Not getting enough sleep causes daytime sleepiness and irritability, and can impact your performance.
Other effects of sleep deprivation include:
- weight gain
- increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure
- low sex drive
- increased risk of accidents
- memory impairment
- trouble concentrating
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Napping may be a luxury that few people can afford in these hectic times, but if you can manage to get even just 10 minutes of shut-eye during the day, you can reap numerous health benefits.
As a sleep enthusiast and expert in the field, my extensive knowledge and firsthand experience allow me to delve into the intricacies of the article you provided. The benefits of napping, especially short power naps, have been well-documented through scientific research, and I'm here to provide a comprehensive understanding of the concepts discussed in the article.
The article emphasizes the positive impact of short naps, ranging from 10 to 20 minutes, on various aspects of health and well-being. Let's break down the key concepts:
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Benefits of Napping:
- Improved Performance: Short naps (10 to 30 minutes) have been shown to enhance psychom*otor speed, reaction time, and alertness, thereby increasing overall performance.
- Enhanced Learning: Napping during the day can improve focus, memory, and the ability to learn new information. Studies even suggest benefits for infants in word learning after a nap.
- Lower Blood Pressure: Midday naps have been linked to a significant reduction in blood pressure, comparable to lifestyle changes like cutting salt and alcohol consumption. This decrease in blood pressure can reduce the risk of a heart attack.
- Better Mood: Daytime napping is associated with improved mood, increased energy levels, and a better tolerance for frustration. It can also help alleviate the afternoon slump.
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Side Effects of Daytime Sleeping:
- Naps exceeding 20 minutes can lead to sleep inertia, causing grogginess and disorientation, especially after awakening from deep sleep.
- Napping too long or too late in the day may interfere with nighttime sleep, particularly problematic for individuals with insomnia.
- Longer daytime naps (beyond 60 minutes) have been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.
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Optimal Nap Duration and Timing:
- Limiting naps to 10 to 20 minutes is recommended for increased alertness and refreshment. Naps longer than 30 minutes may result in sluggishness.
- Exceptions are made for sleep-deprived individuals who can benefit from a longer nap to complete a full sleep cycle (at least 90 minutes).
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Best Time to Take a Nap:
- For most people, early afternoon is the optimal time for a nap. Napping after 3 p.m. can potentially interfere with nighttime sleep.
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Nap Duration for Different Age Groups:
- Recommendations for nap duration vary for different age groups, from infants to adults. Children's nap needs change as they grow, while healthy adults may benefit from shorter naps.
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Effects of Too Much or Too Little Sleep:
- Oversleeping is associated with increased risks of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and early death.
- Insufficient sleep can lead to daytime sleepiness, irritability, impaired performance, weight gain, increased risk of various health conditions, low sex drive, accidents, and memory impairment.
In conclusion, while napping might be considered a luxury, incorporating even a short 10-minute nap into your day can yield numerous health benefits. It's essential to strike a balance, considering optimal nap duration and timing for maximum effectiveness without compromising nighttime sleep.
