There is NOTHING better than a good old nap. Curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and dozing off to Netflix – utter bliss! But there are people out there that think napping is wrong. That napping is just lazy! Well we’re here to prove them wrong with lots of facts about your favourite hobby that show how beneficial a quick power nap can be.
Nappers unite and embrace these wonderful sleeping facts. And once you’ve read them all you can nip off for a well-earned nap happy in the knowledge you’re being super healthy.
Napping makes you smarter
According to a study in the University of California by Doctor Matthew Walker by having just a one hour nap a day can make you smarter. This is because your short term memory gets reset meaning you can learn more facts – such as napping is great!
Aim for the afternoon
Early afternoon is the best time to nap as this is when your body becomes naturally tired. It’s also beneficial as it won’t interrupt your bedtime sleeping.
You don’t need to nap for long to feel the benefits
For young adults you only need as little as a 10-20 minute nap to reap the rewards. You’ll get the better mental awareness but without feeling groggy. A nap of around an hour is likely to give you better awareness for an astonishing 10 hours.
Have a cup of coffee before your nap – no really!
It takes about 20 minutes for caffeine to kick-in so if you plan to have a 20 minute power-nap you’ll wake up feeling super energised.
Napping could save your life
According to a Greek study, napping for just 3 times a week (for at least 30 minutes) could result in a 37% lower death rate from heart problems. That’s right a nap will save your life!
You don’t need to actually fall asleep to get the napping benefits
Don’t stress out if you can’t get to sleep during your nap time. Just by lying down and having a rest you will still get benefits such as lowered blood pressure.
It might help you keep off the weight
Research has shown that woman who sleep for only 5 hours a night are 32% more likely to put on weight than those who sleep for 7 hours. By trying to catch-up on some of that sleep during nap-time you might just prevent that weight loss.
If napping is good enough for Presidents…
Both Bill Clinton and JFK used to have a daily nap while Presidents of the United States. It helped them make important decisions!
Don’t substitute a nap for sugar
When you get sleepy we tend to think grabbing a bar of chocolate will be a quick-fix. However, sugar energy will burn off quickly leaving you more tired than before.
Driving while tired is very dangerous
Never be afraid to have that emergency nap on the side of the road. It’s thought that in America alone 100,000 traffic deaths a year are due to a sleepy driver.
There’s such a thing as a NASA nap
Yes, that’s right, naps are NASA endorsed! NASA found that a 26 minute nap increased alertness by 54% and performance by 34%, which is why astronauts have a nap while autopilot is on.
