Taking a nap is not a waste of time. It allows you to regain strength, refresh yourself, but also provide other benefits for the body. Therefore, set aside time during the day for at least 10 minutes of a nap. It's only a few moments and the benefits will be huge. Learn all the benefits of a nap and how long it should last.
Contents:
- A nap is good for your heart
- Taking a nap reduces stress levels
- A nap stimulates and increases creativity
- A nap replenishes sleep deprivation
- A nap: how long should it last?
A nap is good for your heart
A nap is good for your heart. If you can, indulge in it regularly (2 to 3 times a week). Already a 15-minute nap by 30 percent. reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers from Asklepieion Voula General Hospital in Athens presented the results of their research on the effects of naps on the heart at a 2015 conference in London of the European Society of Cardiology1 . 200 men and 186 women aged about 60 were examined, each of the respondents struggled with hypertension. It found that taking a nap during the day reduces its level by about 5 percent compared to the pressure of people who failed to take a nap during the day. The lower blood pressure after a nap is maintained not only during the day, but also at night, while sleeping.
The researchers point out that while the difference may not seem great - just 5 percent - in the case of heart he alth it is significant - it lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 10 percent and makes it less likely to develop cardiovascular disease. a given person's heart attack.
Taking a nap reduces stress levels
Taking a nap also reduces the level of perceived stress. This has been proven by researchers from Texas A&M University, who studied people who take naps during the day and those who do not2 . The following tests were performed on people: electroencephalography (EEG - checking the work of the brain), electrooculography (EEA - which examines the resting potential at the eyeballs) and electromyography (EMG), i.e. the study of the functions of muscles and nerves. The respondents were also asked about their well-being during the day.
It turned out thatnapping improves the moodboth in people who use itsystematically, as for those who do it once. Moreover, it was observed that the mere fact of resting in bed, even without falling asleep, made the respondents feel more relaxed and refreshed.
A nap stimulates and increases creativity
At the end of a nap, your body releases a large amount of the hormones adrenaline and norepinephrine. These hormones are needed to wake up, and at the same time stimulate the heart rhythm and improve the blood supply to the brain.
In other words -a nap has a stimulating and invigorating effect , it provides energy for the second part of the day. The same phenomenon is observed after a night of sleep - you are in your best shape about 10 minutes after waking up.
The best ideas appear while you sleep. Slightly different processes occur in the brain during a nap than during deep sleep. You could say that it is easier to catch your subconscious at work when you nap. Then all the impressions, emotions and images collected during the day are revealed. It turns out that it happens much more intensely in the light phase of sleep (when sleep goes deep, many of these sensations are forgotten), giving rise to new creative inspiration.
Such conclusions were also reached by scientists from the University of Bristol3 , who studied 63 people, checking their reaction time during a specific task. People participating in the study were presentedboards with the inscriptionsassociated withpositively and negativelyand asked to assign them. For example, after seeing a board with the words "happiness", "disease", the respondent was to describe this word as positively or negatively associated.
Before this particular word appeared, the participant saw in front of him a plate with a series of X's and … earlier, another one, which appeared so briefly that it was impossible to consciously register it. A positive or negative word could also appear on this board, i.e. e.g. unconsciously registered "happiness" first, then X's, then consciously registered "disease" or e.g. unconscious "disease", X's and conscious "disease" again.
It turned out that people who were shown a slogan similar to the one after X in front of X, assigned the second word as positive or negative faster than those who first showed, for example, "illness", and then "happiness". So subconsciously, even though they did not remember it consciously, the participants of the study did not forget about the board that appeared first.
After thetest, some participants were sent to napand some remained awake for 90 minutes. Then a test was doneagain, and those who took a nap coped with the task much faster -their brain reached more efficiently for the subconscious mindand the information it contained.
A nap replenishes sleep deprivation
Many people suffer from sleep deprivation. This happens for a variety of reasons - either lack of time to sleep or high levels of stress cause insomnia. A dozen or so minutes of naps can dramatically improve your well-being. A nap is very much needed by adolescents who are overloaded with science, and at the same time subjected to a phase of a hormonal storm.
A nap: how long should it last?
The nap may befrom 10 to 30 minutes . Those who live in a hurry can do it even on the tram or in the waiting room at the doctor's.
Such a short nap will not disturb your night's sleep, on the contrary - it will de-stress you during the day and it will be easier to fall asleep later. It can be done at any time - from early afternoon, but not later than 6.00 p.m.