For years, there has been a stigma against taking naps, but this is slowly disappearing. These days, taking a break to sleep during daytime is one of the best things that can give you that quick energy boost that you need. Unlike 85% of the mammals on the planet, humans sleep once a day only. While scientists aren't sure whether this is natural or a result of modern society's influence, nearly a third of the human popular do not get enough sleep.
So What are Power Naps? Power naps are simply naps that you take during the day, ideally starting anywhere from 1PM to 4PM. This can last from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. Going over 30 minutes can still be called a nap, but this can cause you to develop a condition known as sleep inertia, which results to a groggy feeling that is not only unpleasant, but takes a while to get rid of. Additionally, napping after 4PM can disturb your regular sleep at night.
Benefits of Power Naps: Power napping has a ton of health benefits. Aside from alleviating sleep deficits or lack of sleep issues, it is also beneficial to our brain, including allowing you to become better at the following:
- Statistical learning.
- Object learning.
- Perceptual learning.
- Problem solving.
- Verbal memory.
- Math and numbers.
- Symbol recognition.
- Logical reasoning.
Power napping can also help improve the quickness of how you react because of a situation. Additionally, it can improve your mood and your way of responding to fatigue and sleepiness. Surprisingly, napping has health benefits, which include:
- Stronger heart
- Healthier blood pressure levels
- Manageable stress levels
- Better weight management
How to Power Nap: The length of your nap will determine the benefits you get. For instance, if you go for a 20-minute power nap, you can become more alert and experience an improvement in your motor learning skills. If you nap for more than 20 minutes, this can boost your memory and help you become more creative. Meanwhile, if you nap for 30 minutes, this can improve your decision-making skills.
Napping is Better than Caffeine: If you're used to drinking coffee in the afternoon to get the energy boost you need, it is time to quit that habit and replace it with napping. One of the biggest advantages of sleeping in the daytime for a few minutes is that it increases your cognitive function whereas coffee actually decreases it.