Everyone loves it when they can take that hour or two out of there day, and just go back to sleep. Sometimes they can be hard to wake up from though, and we begin to question if they are really good for our health. Lucky for all of us, studies show that they are indeed beneficial to our “brains, including improvements to create problem solving, verbal memory, perceptual learning, object learning, and statistical learning” states George Dvorsky to the Daily Explainer. He also finds that naps help improve our moods and are good for our heart, blood pressure, and stress level.
A power nap is a 10 to 30 minute nap, that can provide a “quick boost of alertness” (Dvorsky). Anytime over 30 minutes, however, the napper may feel sleep inertia, or the tired and groggy sense when waking up. Although a normal sleep cycle is 90 minutes long, the first part of the cycle is the one in which we have slower brain waves, which is what helps with increase recognition and memory. This occurs within the first 60 minutes of the cycle. The last 30 minutes of the cycle is the REM phase (rapid eye movement period) which helps stimulate creativity and emotional memory.
Napping can also have other benefits besides brain development, such as reducing stress and helping manage blood pressure. Sleep can “confer heart-related benefits by accelerating cardiovascular recovery after bouts of psychological stress” (Dvorsky). Also, napping to rest and gain energy is a healthier alternative to drinking caffeine. Naps “improve free recall memory” (Dvorsky) while instead caffeine can “impair motor sequence learning and declarative verbal memory”, although caffeine is more efficient than taking a longer nap.
Although studies like Dr. Max Gomez’s report on CBS New York show that people who nap more have an “increased risk of dying” (Gomez), but later reports that the “nap itself is not bad” (Gomez), but that “sleepiness may be a sign of an underlying disease or problem that leads to premature death” (Gomez). This means that the reason a person is sleepy and could need or want a nap could be caused by a disease that causes death, but napping itself is not unhealthy.
http://io9.com/the-science-behind-power-naps-and-why-theyre-so-damne-1401366016
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/04/14/study-suggests-naps-could-be-hazardous-to-your-health/
It is really good to hear that taking a nap is actually good for our bodies because everyday,I normally spend 1 hour sleeping during middle of a day to keep myself more awake later. After reading your blog, I may consider shorten my nap to 30 minutes since you mentioned a nap longer than that may make the napper feel sleep inertia, or the tired and groggy sense when waking up. Also I found there are three types of type in this website http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/napping
This article stuck out to me because i just woke up from taking a little power nap. I wasn’t surprised to see that there were many benefits to napping such as being healthy for your brain. However, I was surprised to see that there were negative effects of napping especially that one of the effects were premature death. Because I was so stubborn to believe that naps could kill you I looked it up myself and actually found an article (posted below) that stated, “One study has indicated that napping is associated with increased risk of heart failure in people already at risk (Walsh).” Im still shocked by this and really don’t want to die but and still going to take my chances in order to get my energy back.
http://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/napping/page/0%2C2/