Adults feel a little guilty about taking afternoon naps and some feel like a nap may affect them sleeping at night but new research gives a thumbs up for a catnap before dinner.
In fact, medical officials say it improves health.
A mid-afternoon snooze can boost productivity, improve your mood, help your memory, reduce stress and even make you more alert.
Here are some details on the benefits.
Improves Immune System
Naps reduce stress and that leads to better immune health, according to doctors.
Stress is a leading factor in contributing to a number of diseases and lowering your defenses to fight disease.
Naps are a great defense against that.
Improves Your Heart
Studies show that napping between 45 to 60 minutes a day lowers blood pressure after someone has a
mental stress.
Naps are a type of repair action for your body after it goes through a stressful or traumatic situation and helps your body heal.
Improves Creativity
The best creativity comes when you are in REM sleep.
Normally that comes after you are asleep between 70 and 90 minutes.
However, if you can fall asleep and get to the REM phase quickly, a nap can greatly improve your overall creativity.
Helps Nighttime Sleep
Most would think an afternoon nap would negatively impact your nighttime sleeping pattern but research shows it’s a good practice to help older adults sleep better at night.
The best use of a nap is to take a 30-minute nap between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and do moderate exercise after dinner to produce good nighttime sleep.
Conclusion
Naps are a good practice for most adults as long as you don’t oversleep.
Doctors suggest to keep your naps to 30 to 60 minutes to avoid the after-nap drag.
Be sure to keep up with a good diet and exercise to keep you energized afterward.
