Benefits + Risks
This is what happens when you take a nap every day
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For some people, a nap is part of a perfect day – others find the mere idea of sleeping during the day absurd. These effects has a daily nap.
In countries like Japan, naps are an integral part of everyday office life, and there are even special sleeping cubicles in which employees of large companies can treat themselves to a power nap. With us, the nap in between is rather frowned upon – if at all, it takes place at the weekend or maybe very secretly in the home office. A nap has many health benefits. These are the most important benefits, but also the risks of daily naps.
Pros and Cons: These 3 things happen when you take a nap every day
1. You feel more alert and focused afterwards
While we sleep, our brain regenerates. It can recover from its work and recharge its batteries. That is why good and sufficient sleep is so important for us. But even a little nap during the day can help our brain to think more clearly afterwards. As long as you sleep no more than 20 minutes, you should be significantly more alert and able to focus better after the nap.
2. You become more creative
One study from 2021 also suggests that a short nap makes us more creative. Because shortly after falling asleep we get a creativity boost, which, however, decreases again when we snooze longer and get into deep sleep. That’s why power naps in particular let us bubble with ideas afterwards.
3. You could lower your risk of cardiovascular disease… or increase it
According to a big Harvard University study Sleeping regularly throughout the day strengthens our heart health. This should enable people who take a nap every day to reduce their risk of heart disease by 30 percent.
Another Research work from China however, suggests the opposite – namely that regular afternoon naps can increase the risk of high blood pressure by as much as twelve percent. However, the researchers here suspect that the naps themselves may not necessarily be responsible for the negative health effect, but that the underlying cause that makes people so tired in the first place may be the culprit.
The perfect nap: you should pay attention to this
There are a few things you can do to optimize your nap time and get the most out of it:
- You best do yours Nap before 2 p.mso you don’t have to toss and turn in bed awake at night.
- The perfect duration for a nap is about 20 minutes – so you are optimally rested without feeling groggy afterwards.
- Loud somestudies it can make you even more awake, immediately to drink a coffee before the afternoon nap. This gives the caffeine it contains enough time to take effect in your body.
Sources used: health.com, thensf.org, fullfocus.co, sciencefocus.com