Naps have a poor reputation, mainly when they occur at work. However, evidence indicates that this way of thinking is entirely outdated, and there are several benefits of power naps and their health benefits.
Extra sleep can help you remember things better and minimize stress. There’s also the whole “naps feel good” thing.
So here’s the scientific evidence you need to feel entirely at ease spending some extra time with your pillow today.
1. Right now, you’re probably sleep-deprived
According to the National Sleep Foundation, you can obtain seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you’re like most people, you’ll fall short of that goal: According to a survey published in 2015 by sleep tracking software Sleep Cycle, South Africans get just over six hours of sleep each night on average, the world’s lowest average sleep time.
“If getting enough sleep isn’t possible, napping is the next best thing,” says Dr. Abid Malik, medical director of Orlando Health-South Seminole Hospital’s Sleep Disorder Centre.
2. You will become a genius as a result of it
A group of German neuropsychologists discovered that napping after learning anything improves your recollection of that material five times compared to being awake.
The ability of your brain to enter a meditative state during sleep is linked to your ability to remember. Is it always necessary to take a nap at work? That is sound management.
3. It only takes a few minutes to complete
According to Dr. Malik, you need the 15- to 20-minute benefits of power naps and their advantages to waking up feeling like a new man. According to him, the chemicals in our brain rebalance when we sleep, making us feel more alert — even if we only sleep for a few minutes.
4. It prevents you from overindulging
According to a Stanford University study, the less sleep you get, the more likely you to gain weight. According to researchers, lack of sleep causes your body to produce the hormone gherkin, which makes you want to eat more and more and lowers levels of the hormone leptin, which tells you when you’re full.
5. It’s the most inconvenient method of stress relief
Stress raises blood pressure, leading to heart disease, stroke, and even erection issues. However, Allegheny College research reveals that sleeping during the day may assist your body cope with worry.
Half of the study were given a nap before a complicated exam. After the test, nappers had lower blood pressure than those awake all day. Researchers believe that getting enough sleep aids your heart’s ability to recuperate from stress, lowering your blood pressure in the process.
6. You’ll be a better partner as a result of this
Are you constantly arguing with your partner? Examine your sleeping patterns. According to a study at the University of California, Berkeley, even one night of sleep deprivation might exacerbate disagreements with your partner. Why? You cannot read your partner’s feelings and are more inclined to be grumpy throughout the day.
7. It aids in the recovery after an all-nighter
Not getting enough sleep might make you feel stressed and unwell; however, if you catch some mini-snoozes after a late night.
According to a study, men who took two half-hour naps the day after obtaining just two hours of sleep could reset their stress hormone levels, leaving them less frazzled and healthier than those who never napped—Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
8. It safeguards your ticker
Only one night of poor sleep can make your blood vessels less flexible. This can put you at risk for heart disease, which can be fatal. When your brain is wiped, scientists believe it sends a signal to your blood vessels, causing them to stiffen and become unresponsive. After ample rest, the good news is that study participants’ vessels returned to normal.
9. It alleviates indiscriminate lust
According to Hendrix College research, being fatigued is like donning beer goggles. Men in the study thought women were more beautiful and interested in casual sex when they were sleep-deprived. According to researchers, sleep deprivation disrupts the brain’s frontal lobe, which is involved in judgment, impulse control, and social and sexual behavior.
10. It might mean the difference between life and death for you
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who sleep less than six hours per night have a very higher chance of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Scientists believe that those who get less sleep are more stressed, leading to the onset of those fatal illnesses.
11. This afternoon, you’ll have laser focus
The more time we spend awake, the more sluggish our brains get. What is the solution? Nap. Participants in the study who took the importance of a power nap throughout a day of learning could pay more attention later. Those who skipped naptime were more easily distracted and struggled to learn as the day progressed.
12. It can boost your testosterone level
Sleeping always lessens than five hours a day can lower 10 to 15% testosterone levels. You may have a reduced sex drive, weaker sperm, and problems getting it up if you don’t have enough testosterone in your body. The researchers claim that sleep is necessary for testosterone synthesis. If you consume too little, your body will create substances that disrupt your T.
13. Tired men can be jerks
Sleep deprivation makes you more inclined to stereotype. Lack of sleep depletes your self-control, so the less sleep you get, the worse you get at filtering the preconceptions you know are false. It turns you into a jerk. To improve your niceness rating, get some extra sleep.
14. It has the potential to keep you from going nuts
Sleep deprivation may boost your chances of forming false memories.
People who didn’t get enough sleep are more likely to claim that they saw imagined details in photos in the study, even though they had only read about those things later in a separate story. People who obtained adequate sleep beforehand, on the other hand, did not make any mistakes. Lack of sleep jumbles up the information stored in your brain, producing disorientation.
15. You’ll be able to read women more effectively
Men who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to assume a woman is interested in them. Sleep deprivation shortens your attention span, reduces your brain’s ability to absorb information, and damages your short-term memory, leading you to misinterpret her harmless glance as a profound stare.
16. Xanax is a natural substance
Fatigue can make you tenser. Scientists discovered that when people don’t get enough sleep, their brains show considerably greater activity in anxiety-related areas. Sleep-deprived persons are more likely to acquire anxiety disorders, so take a nap.
17. You’ll be the boss when you’re behind
Lack of sleep always makes you a liability on the road, even if you don’t feel weary. Scientists discovered that persons who slept six or fewer hours per night were nearly three times more likely than all those who slept seven hours to fall asleep behind the wheel.
Drowsy driving may be an even more significant public safety hazard than drunk driving because authorities have no way of knowing whether you’ve had enough sleep.
18. It lowers your chances of developing diabetes
Not getting enough sleep always increases your risk of acquiring diabetes. Healthy males who were restricted to 4.5 hours of sleep for four days had more fatty acids in their blood than those who slept for 8.5 hours. Researchers believe that by getting more sleep, you should be able to reverse the consequences.
19. You’ll be in better shape
Taking asleep in the gym may help you perform better. A Stanford University study found that athletes who slept more for three weeks had faster sprint speeds, greater endurance, a lower heart rate, and overall better training. Most athletes do not get enough sleep to recover from their activities. This can affect their minds, moods, and reaction times, but scientists claim that getting more sleep can help them recover.
20. It may aid in the prevention of dementia
A lack of sleep can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Participants who didn’t get enough sleep had higher levels of B-Amyloid, a plaque linked to Alzheimer’s disease, in their brains. Your brain cleans itself while you sleep, eradicating the plaques.
21. Your skin will appreciate it
Beauty sleep is natural, and men need it. Sleep-deprived subjects had increased fine wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and loose skin. Staying up all night reduces your skin’s ability to regenerate itself, causing you to age faster.
Overall view
The benefits of power naps can provide you with more incredible energy, increased focus, increased attention, and mental clarity. The recommended duration is about ten minutes. According to some studies, this is a reliable source.
Naps should not be used as a substitute for receiving the required amount of sleep each night, which for adults aged 18 to 60 is ideally 7–9 hours.
When limited to 10–20 minutes per day, the benefits of power naps can be an excellent supplement to a healthy lifestyle and provide several benefits of power naps to those who use them.
