Sleep: why taking an afternoon nap is good for your health?

Good news: napping has many health benefits! This is a good reason to take a nap in the early afternoon, right after eating, like in kindergarten. In fact, napping is not only reserved for young children or the elderly. It is beneficial for everyone!

 

Do you feel tired in the early afternoon? It's perfectly normal! It comes from a bad night or from a rich meal. Taking a nap would do you a world of good and allow you to be productive again in your work. But this little break would also have a positive impact on your health.

 

However, sleeping for several hours during the day is not the most effective solution. In fact, the nap should be brief, lasting between 10 and 20 minutes on the clock. These energizing micro-naps will allow you to easily resume your activities without losing several precious hours. If your nap lasts longer, you will then fall into a deep sleep, which is assimilated to night sleep.

 

Here are the benefits of napping on your physical and mental health

Fight sleepiness. 
 

A nap will not replace a good night's sleep, but it will allow you to reduce the effects of fatigue.

 
 

Taking a nap is part of muscle recovery. The muscles relax and unwind immediately.

 

Taking a nap would restore hormone and protein levels in the body, which helps fight stress.

 

A nap gives you a boost of energy and a good mood. In fact, when you sleep, your body releases serotonin, the pleasure and happiness hormone, into your brain.

 

Taking a nap after lunch releases creativity and increases efficiency. Taking a nap would therefore allow you to perform better at work.

 

A nap of up to 30 minutes can greatly improve your alertness. When you wake up, you release adrenaline and noradrenaline, which stimulate the heart rate and allow for more blood flow to the brain. The result: you are more energetic and therefore more alert. Moreover, a nap strongly reduces the risk of road accidents.

 

Short naps also boost memory. First of all, the things you learn just before you go to sleep will be well imprinted in your memory but your brain will also be better able to assimilate new information. So taking a nap while studying would be a good way to memorize.

 

Allowing yourself a few minutes of sleep during the day could effectively reduce the risk of heart attacks and stimulate your heart. But this is only possible if you have a certain regularity: taking a short nap at least three times a week would reduce the risk of heart attacks by more than 30%.