Having healthy sleeping habits can make a big difference in your quality of life. Besides having a good night sleep, it is also very important to have a short nap every day to keep a good sleeping routine. A short nap of 20-30 minutes can help you improve your mood, alertness, performance and may help you get through the day, especially if you’re having very stressful and busy lifestyle.
Here are the health benefits if you take a short nap every day:
- Memory boost
According to the researchers at Saarland University in Germany, taking short naps in amount of 30 -45 minutes can actually improve your memory by 500 percent. This is especially beneficial for students while studying.
- Increased alertness
Naps can restore alertness, enhance performance, and reduce mistakes and accidents. A study at NASA on sleepy military pilots and astronauts found that a 40-minute nap improved performance by 34% and alertness 100%.
- Psychological benefits
Taking a short nap has psychological benefits. It’s like having a mini-vacation from your busy everyday life. It can provide an easy way to get some relaxation and rejuvenation.
- Increased creativity
Taking a nap it’s like a mind activity. According to the researchers, the right side of the brain – where creativity and “whole picture thinking” takes place – is actively communicating with itself.
- Decreased risk of injury
People who are sleep-deprived are more likely to suffer a catastrophic industrial, motor vehicle, or medical incident. To avoid the risk of get injured, it’s important to take a 30-minute nap every day.
- Enhanced productivity
According to the psychologist James Mass at the Cornell University, having a short nap is powerful as it results in enhanced productivity and performance.
- Healthier heart
People who have a nap for 30 minutes or more per day have healthy hearts and 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.
- Happiness
People who take a mid-day nap of 30 minutes or less enjoy an afternoon “happy boost” more often than those who nap longer than 30 minutes, or who don’t nap at all.
- Eating less junk foods
A lack of sleep impairs the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision making and withstanding impulse. Any PFC impairment is not good for resisting temptations – including eating junk food.
- Feeling of fullness
When you’re asleep the body produces less of the hunger hormone called gherlin. Researchers suggest that regular napping can prevent obesity and increase feelings of fullness.
