Daytime Naps Boost Your Heart And Brain Health, Reduce Stress And Much More
No matter what we do during the day, we all just love to have a short siesta in the afternoon. For many people, nap is the sweetest time of the day and seems to be very beneficial.
Unfortunately, our hectic lifestyles rarely leave time for adequate rest and lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on our health. Because sleep is critical to brain function, chronic sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems. A mini-break during the day is an easy way to relax, rejuvenate and give the body the boost it needs to cope with everything that has happened during the day and repair itself to get back in shape for tomorrow.
This in turn causes chronic stress, which affects metabolism and circadian rhythms and leads to chronic systemic inflammation. This could be due to stress hormones, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression.
A study published in the BMJ journal Heart showed that people who took naps for just one week had lower blood pressure, lower heart rate and lower blood sugar levels than those who did not. The exact physiological processes that link napping to cardiovascular disease risk are unclear, “said the study’s lead author, Dr. J.D. Hickey of the University of California, San Francisco.
These findings add to the current debate about the health effects of afternoon naps, suggesting that not only the duration but also the frequency of naps may be important. Numerous scientists have claimed that naps of 60 to 90 minutes can be beneficial for heart, brain and brain health, as well as for general well-being. It is claimed to dramatically lower cortisol levels in the body, and numerous scientists claim it lowers blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Even short naps increase alertness and reaction time and help you become more impulsive and more tolerant of frustration. Stress – high lifestyle keeps the sympathetic nervous system constantly active, which triggers the release of adrenaline (adrenaline in the blood) and increases the cortisol level.
Most experts say that a nap of 20-30 minutes is enough to refresh yourself if you don’t sleep – deprived, but I suspect that sleep gives you more distance from emotional events. While you may know about the benefits of nap, you may not have enough time to take a 90-minute nap in the middle of the day. Midday nap can improve perceptual learning and memory consolidation, so sleep is not just a passing thing.
Improve mental alertness, memory and motor learning, as well as reduce stress levels and blood pressure and heart rate.
Choose a dark, quiet room with a pleasant temperature and choose a comfortable bed, such as a bed in a warm, dark room or an open room with light.
Timing is very important: wrong sleep can lead to drowsiness and you will end up feeling groggy or even more tired than before. Some studies suggest that it can be beneficial to spend only half the time in bed, but it is better to try to take a nap every three to four hours in the morning and two to three hours in the afternoon. You need a few minutes every morning while you are awake, and it takes some time to wake up properly. Do not take more than two hours of continuous afternoon naps as these can interfere with your sleep.