28 Jun The Benefits of Napping
In today’s busy world, daily napping is far from most people’s minds. Humans are one of very few mammals that are monophasic sleepers, meaning they have two distinct periods of sleeping and wakefulness.
In contrast, most mammals are known to be polyphasic sleepers, meaning they have short periods of napping during the day. Just look at your cat or dog and you will understand a polyphasic sleeper.
There are several benefits to a 20 to 30 minute nap, which include:
- Improve mood and memory
- Increase alertness
- Enhance work and intellectual performance
- Promote well-being
- MRIs show that nappers have higher brain activity than those who do not nap
- Improves heart health
- Prevents cell damage
- Boosts immune system
- Relieves stress
- Increases relaxation and rejuvenation
However, to avoid reaching a state of grogginess when waking from a nap, it’s important that the nap is alight nap as opposed to moving into a deeper sleep. When taking a nap, try to be more meditative rather than allowing yourself to completely dive into a heavy sleep.
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