Are you feeling guilty about your afternoon nap? If yes, then hereafter don’t be because research shows that your afternoon nap will help you in boosting your brain health and also helps you in improving your life span. But the length of your nap plays an essential role in improving your memory.
A Quick Afternoon Nap Helps to Improve Your Brain Health
Researchers found that nearly 2,974 people between the age of 65 and above had a good memory. Scientists discovered that the reason behind their memory is that around 60% of the participants took a deep one hour sleep after their lunch. Research shows that these people had a sign of good memory than people who didn’t sleep for more than 90 minutes.
Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Sleep Disorders Center says that “I consider napping to be a good thing, but it needs to be taken in the context of the person and his or her own sleep cycles and body.”
The perfect time for an afternoon nap is between 1 pm and 3 pm (not more than 90 minutes). During that time both our body and mind will be powered off for a while which can improve both our physical and mental health and prevent us from cognition issues. An afternoon nap not only increases your brain health but also helps in increasing your mood, lifts your energy, and eases your stress.
Not All Naps Are Healthy
Taking an afternoon nap is healthy and of course, at the same time taking a long nap(above one and half an hour) might lead to some other health issues.
- Grogginess – People who sleep for more hours may feel the grogginess right after they wake up.
- Lack of night sleep – A person who sleeps for a longer period of time in the day time will have insomnia at night.
- Diabetes – Sleeping for more hours in day time causes insomnia at night which can increase the risk of diabetes.
- Fatigue – Sleeping too much or a little sleep also increases the perception of fatigue.
Feeling drowsy after your afternoon meal is due to the syndrome known as postprandial somnolence. This is one of the major reasons which can cause you to sleep in the afternoon. Getting an afternoon nap is a dream for many working men and women. Taking an afternoon nap twice or thrice a week is good for both your heart and brain health.
