At some point of the day, you will feel your eyes going heavy and your senses somewhat dampened even if it’s still a far cry from bedtime. This usually happens in the middle of the day. What do you do? Napping seems to be the best solution. Is frequent naps a thing and should this be done throughout the day? Read on and I’ll tell you more about it.
There are numerous benefits that you can get from frequent naps.
Aside from improving your physical performance and your overall alertness, daytime naps can offer you so much more.
- This can help improve your performance when it comes to tasks that require symbol recognition, logical reasoning, and fast reaction time.
- A short rest can help uplift your mood. This can also aid in regulating the emotions.
- People who resorted to naps are less impulsive in making decisions.
- Sleeping for brief periods helps reinforce concepts that you have just learned.
- This is extremely beneficial in tasks that require you to distinguish objects based on visual texture. Visual texture is one of the prerequisites for learning new concepts.
- This can help improve various areas of memories as well. In fact, catnaps can help you boost your item memory. This is the sort of memory that makes you remember what you are about to buy based on your grocery list. Another memory area that you can boost from naps is the associative memory. In this type, you get to associate concepts and words with actual objects, people, and places.
You have to take frequent naps if you feel a little less functional than your usual self.
There are those times that you will really need a boost and be out for a while from the daily grind. Here are some of the signs that you might need brief episodes of a snooze. These may be somewhat trivial, but a little rest from time to time may just be what your body craves for at the moment. Want better health? Schedule a FREE 15 minute consultation with Dr. Celaya.
- You are willing to make frequent naps a part of your usual routine. Some people are very much willing to do this if they typically lack the required number of sleeping hours during the night.
- When you are on the brink of experiencing loss of sleep. This usually happens in instances like having a prolonged working shift. Actually, it’s a lot safer than working yourself up to the point of total exhaustion.
- This is also helpful if you experience unexpected sleepiness or a new episode of fatigue. This is typically the case during those days that you’ve been staying up later than usual during the previous night.
Even research supports the health benefits that frequent napping can bring you.
According to a 2009 study on sleep research, taking frequent naps can help improve a person’s learning curve. Another similar research done 6 years later concurred. Furthermore, the investigators pointed out that people who napped frequently have higher levels of frustration tolerance. This means that they have an easier time holding back their frustrations even if they’re under stressful situations.
Another experiment revealed that afternoon naps can even act as your midday coffee. In fact, they discovered that a brief snooze can bring you benefits that a similar dose of caffeine can provide you. They were also better in tasks that required memory and long bouts of attention span.
If you want to learn more about other studies that tackled frequent naps, you may check out the website. Aside from nap benefits, you can also check out other blog posts that tackled other health concerns in relation to functional medicine.
Just look out for certain drawbacks of frequent napping so you can do something to avoid them.
For every wonderful thing that can provide surprising benefits for you, expect some degree of drawbacks. However, keep in mind that these drawbacks can be properly managed with the right degree of planning and mindset.
- Nighttime sleep problems can occur if you take naps just a few moments away from your actual bedtime rest. To avoid this, avoid napping around 4 to 5 hours before your usual good night sleep.
- Sleep inertia is that state when you feel unpleasant because your sleep has been interrupted. To avoid this, just make sure to sleep only within the recommended length of time.
Follow these tips to help you get the most out of your naps.
These will not only help you get those extra Zs but also aid in maximizing the benefits that you can get from doing them in the first place.
- Make time to “design” your very own restful environment. Make sure that the environment is conducive to sleep. You may turn off the lights and even block out all the sources of noise so you can make the most out of your brief rest. Make the resting surface as comfortable as possible. Lowering the room temperature can also help you further promote a better resting area.
- Take some naps during the afternoon. Actually, the best time to have these naps is during those times of the day when you feel you have the lowest levels of alertness and concentration. This usually occurs when you just had a large meal if you have been continuously working for prolonged periods already.
- Keep each nap time short. An average nap should only take 10 to 30 minutes and 90 minutes at most. Anything longer than this can make you feel groggy and you don’t want that.
Depending on what you have to do and what you’re planning to do for the day, frequent naps can help make or break your day. Just make sure to just nap within the acceptable range. Otherwise, you will have a problem adjusting because of the drawbacks of “prolonged” and frequent napping.
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