Researchers say that taking an afternoon nap can bring you a variety of positive aspects to your daily routine. According to Days of the Year, the unofficial sleeping holiday gives anyone who is still feeling the effects of losing an hour of sleep Sunday morning the opportunity to get some quick shut-eye during a catnap.
Dr. William Anthony, a Boston University professor, came up with National Napping Day in 1999, Huffington Post reported. He wanted to encourage people to make naps part of everyone’s lives, to help them be healthy and productive.
To celebrate this day, we’ll take a look at the apparent positive aspects of taking a nap during your busy schedule to boost your performance.
It can save your life
According to greek researchers, taking a nap helps your blood pressure and stave off heart attacks.
They discovered that those who had a nap during the afternoon had better blood pressure than those who stayed awake during the day. This study was performed with the help of almost 400 middle-aged men and women.
Dr Manolis Kallistratos, the lead researcher.said that naps during the afternoon can reduce blood pressure and also the usage of required antihypertensive medication.
Keeps you concentrated
Margaret Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill knew the secrets of having a power nap during the afternoon to stay concentrated during work.
Baroness Thatcher famously slept for just four hours a night during the week, though she took regular daytime naps.
Sir Winston Churchill managed on just four hours sleep a night during World War Two – but insisted on a two hour nap in the afternoon.
Scientist Albert Einstein reportedly slept for 10 hours a night, plus daytime naps.
You’ll feel so refreshed
Having a nap right after having lunch can be as refreshing as a night sleep, according to researchers.
Scientists have shown that a 60- to 90-minute nap can charge up the brain’s batteries as much as eight hours tucked up in bed.
Helps you work faster!
A leading brain researcher says that bosses should let their workers take a nap from 30 to 90 minutes during the afternoon, it can boost your creativity and speed.
“It’s best to give your brain downtime. I have a nap every afternoon,” explains Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London.
Helps you with your mood
A study indicates that children who do not take their naps grow up into grumpier and moodier adults.
US researchers found that toddlers who miss just one daytime nap become more anxious and less interested in the world around them.
It’ll make stress go away!
According to the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) a nap can reduce your stress, help cardiovascular functions and improve alertness and memory as well.
Some scientists suggest that a nap cannot be longer than half an hour, others say it should not be longer than 15 minutes.
You’ll stop being so clumsy
Naps can restore alertness, enhance performance, and reduce mistakes and accidents, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSA).
A study at NASA on sleepy military pilots and astronauts found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34 per cent and alertness 100 per cent, the NSA reports.
Source: Telegraph