According to the findings of a number of studies, taking sleep at the right moment can give you a temporary increase in cognitive ability, which is extremely cool. A regular nap in the middle of the day has the potential to have longer-term effects as well, including the capacity to enhance cardiovascular health and the potential to provide a barrier against the loss of brain volume, which may operate as a safeguard against dementia.
Discover more below.
To Nap or Not to Nap; That’s the Question
If you can fit in a nap of anything up to about 30 minutes, which isn’t really long, there seems to be fairly good evidence that you could be helping your brain age a little bit more healthily, explains Victoria Garfield, an epidemiologist at University College London.
According to the findings of research that was published in Science Advances back in 2021, a short snooze can also help ignite the creative flame. Participants in that study were given mathematical problems that might be resolved using a straightforward shortcut; however, they were not informed of the existence of this shortcut. The study indicated that those who rested, even if for only 30 seconds, remained 2.7 times more inclined to find out the math shortcut compared to those who remained up. This was true even if they just spent 30 seconds in the earliest, lightest phase of sleep.
The advantages of taking a nap
Individuals who have sleep debt, which means they don’t get enough sleep at night, stand to profit the most from napping. For instance, a study that reviewed previous studies was published back in 2014 and found that having a nap during one’s night-shift job enhanced overall performance and reduced tiredness, even if participants were slightly sleepy when they woke out of their nap. This is a phenomenon that is referred to as “sleep inertia.”
It’s beneficial to take a 20-minute nap, but getting 60 to 90 minutes of solid sleep can do considerably more for your body. It has been demonstrated over and again that napping is beneficial, but the long-term ramifications of doing so are not as well understood.
What is your go-to method for getting a nap? Please tell us about your experience in the comments section below!
