Is Daytime Napping Good for You?

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daytime napping

The health benefits of daytime napping have been debated for years. Does it is really help you to sleep at night? Can it increase your productivity? Will the few extra minutes of rest actually improve your day?

If you’re sleep deprived or just looking for a way to relax, opting to take a midday nap is a surprisingly common choice. However, is it really as good for you as we think it is?

Neil Seed from The Odd Mattress Company shares the health benefits of taking a daytime nap, including the mood-boosting properties that can have a great effect on your daily life:

The Benefits of Daytime Napping

There are many benefits to taking a daytime nap. Along with feeling more relaxed, you could also experience the following:

Increased alertness –

If you’re feeling like you need a boost of energy, taking a short daytime nap can help to increase your alertness. By giving your body a chance to repair itself and recover from the first half of the day, you can wake up feeling invigorated and more alert as to what’s happening around you.

Improved memory –

Taking a nap throughout the day has actually been proven to increase your ability to remember things. In fact, a recent study found that a power nap of just 45 minutes can boost your memory by as much as five times – a pretty impressive amount if you’ve got an exam or work presentation coming up soon!

Lower risk of cardiovascular complications –

Because sleeping has been shown to reduce your blood pressure, taking a nap can help to regulate your bodily functions. The Harvard School of Public Health even found that people who take a midday nap at least 3 times per week are 37% less likely to suffer with heart disease!

The Negative Impacts of Daytime Napping

Despite the positive impacts that a midday nap can bring, there are a few results that you should be aware of. These include:

Trouble sleeping at night –

If you suffer with insomnia or another kind of sleeping condition that prevents you from easily falling asleep, taking a nap throughout the day

Sleep inertia –

Sleep inertia is the groggy feeling that you make experience after waking up from a nap and happens when you’re woken up throughout REM sleep.

Lasting anywhere between 15 minutes and 4 hours, you can feel symptoms sleep inertia – especially disorientation. This may lead to interference with your ability to perform certain tasks and have a negative impact on the rest of your day.

Increased risk of developing diabetes –

According to Dr Tomohide Yamada from the University of Tokyo, napping throughout the day puts you at an increased risk of developing diabetes. A study by the university found that taking a regular daytime nap of an hour or longer was associated with a 46% risk of developing the disease.

Why do I always need to nap?

If you’re constantly feeling exhausted and that your regular nights’ sleep isn’t restful enough, you may be suffering from a sleeping condition.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder that causes the muscles in your throat to close up whilst you’re resting; leaving you with a lack of oxygen being able to reach your lungs.

If you feel like you are suffering with sleep apnea or another disorder, consult your doctor and ask for their advice on how to ensure that your quality of sleep isn’t affected.

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Author Bio: Neil Seed
Neil Seed set up The Odd Mattress Company over 30 years ago in a bid to help customers find the perfect sleeping solution to suit their budgets, needs and health conditions