Her research shows a nap—defined as daytime sleeping that lasts between 15 and 90 minutes—can improve brain functions ranging from memory to focus and creativity. More research shows a quick nap can lower stress and recharge your willpower. And napping has also been linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease and inflammation. But all of these benefits depend on you getting a good night of sleep to begin with, Mednick stresses. Also, not everyone is a good napper. This allows them to wake up from naps feeling energized and alert, not discombobulated.
While the length of an ideal siesta varies from person to person, 20 to 30 minutes is plenty for most. But up to 90 minutes—about the length of one full sleep cycle—could also be beneficial, Mednick says.
Are they taken occasionally when needed or habitually as a cultural practice? Are they taken to compensate for insufficient or poor night-time sleep, or do they indicate underlying ill health? In the study, researchers from the University Hospital of Lausanne in Switzerland used data from 3, people without a history of cardiovascular disease enrolled in a Swiss population-based study.
They examined how often and how long participants napped per week and what condition their hearts were in later on. Over the next 5 years, researchers noted fatal and nonfatal heart-related medical events among those participants. That even accounted for people with sleep apnea or who were excessively sleepy during the day.
The researchers showed they found no association between how long those naps were and heart-related medical events. Their research builds off a meta-analysis published by the Sleep Research Society.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan — a culture where napping at work is seen as a sign of hard work — found 11 studies that showed naps and heart health appear to follow a J-shaped curve. That means the risks dip to a certain point but then shoot up later on.
If so, one would surmise that napping should be healthy. Sujay Kansagra , a sleep health expert with the mattress store chain Mattress Firm and an associate professor at Duke University Medical Center in North California, says the new study on napping frequency and cardiovascular disease is an interesting one.
He recommends people nap between 20 to 30 minutes or extend the nap to 90 minutes. Nate Masterson, head of natural product development for Maple Holistics , says an important part of the new research is that it acknowledges the biggest challenge when it comes to measuring the health effects of naps is determining the underlying reason for the naps themselves.
These common misconceptions about sleep can harm your health by keeping you from getting quality zzzz. You can do a lot of prep work to make the perfect sleep environment. Experts say you can prepare for the end of daylight saving time for days in advance. Among the recommendations is outdoor physical activity. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.
These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity.
Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. Updated October 9, Written by Alexa Fry. Medically Reviewed by Kimberly Truong. Effects of Napping by Age. Types of Naps Naps can be categorized depending on the function they serve. Recovery Nap : Sleep deprivation can leave you feeling tired the following day. If you are up late or have interrupted sleep one night, you might take a recovery nap the next day to compensate for sleep loss.
Prophylactic Nap : This type of nap is taken in preparation for sleep loss. For example, night shift workers may schedule naps before and during their shifts in order to prevent sleepiness and to stay alert while working.
Appetitive Nap : Appetitive naps are taken for the enjoyment of napping. Napping can be relaxing and can improve your mood and energy level upon waking. Fulfillment Nap : Children have a greater need for sleep than adults.
Fulfillment naps are often scheduled into the days of infants and toddlers and can occur spontaneously in children of all ages. Essential Nap : When you are sick, you have a greater need for sleep.
This is because your immune system mounts a response to fight infection or promote healing, and that requires extra energy. Naps taken during illness are considered essential. How Long Should I Nap?
Are Naps Good For You? Benefits of Napping Homeostatic sleep drive is the technical term for the feeling of pressure to sleep. As a result, napping can help with: Reducing sleepiness Improving learning Aiding memory formation Regulating emotions Naps also play a special role for drivers.
Harms of Napping Related Reading. Sign up below for your free gift. Your privacy is important to us. Was this article helpful? Yes No. Taylor, P. Nap Time. Mantua, J. Exploring the nap paradox: are mid-day sleep bouts a friend or foe?. Sleep medicine, 37, 88— Brooks, A.
A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative?. Sleep, 29 6 , — Hilditch, C. Sleep, 39 3 , — Gillberg, M. The effects of a short daytime nap after restricted night sleep. Sleep, 19 7 , — Mander, B. Wake deterioration and sleep restoration of human learning. Current biology : CB, 21 5 , R—R Lau, H. Daytime napping: Effects on human direct associative and relational memory.
Neurobiology of learning and memory, 93 4 , — Gujar, N. A role for REM sleep in recalibrating the sensitivity of the human brain to specific emotions. Cerebral cortex New York, N. Tefft, B. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drowsy Driving. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Sack, R. Circadian rhythm sleep disorders: part I, basic principles, shift work and jet lag disorders.
An American Academy of Sleep Medicine review. Sleep, 30 11 , — Hirshkowitz, M. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep health, 1 1 , 40—
0コメント