Very much against the accelerated pace with which we currently live, more and more studies show that the habit of sleep the snap improves health and contributes to greater longevity.
The light of evidence in recent decades assures that taking a break during the day improves the ability to concentration and the productivity.
In fact, in 1995, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began research into the potential of naps as a tool to keep pilots alert during their shifts. Since then, they continue to explore how short naps can improve work performance and alertness.
As a result, short naps are commonly known as “NASA naps”.
Experts agree that it is ideal to schedule a nap for the time when energy begins to naturally decline. And take a break regularly in the middle of the day, but not so late that it interferes with your night’s sleep.
According to the professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of MedicineCharlene Gamaldo, “for most people, this time is between one and four in the afternoon”. “That’s when we have a natural drop in our alertness,” he said in an interview with the magazine time.
In his opinion, “it is possible that people get more benefits from naps if they take them consistently (daily, if possible) and at the same time every afternoon.”
During how much time? Between 20 and 30 minutes. “This way, you’re more likely to rest during your nap and go back to sleep later that night,” she said.
And because the human being “is a rhythmic animal,” according to the sleep researcher at the University of CaliforniaSara Mednick, “Anytime you are learning an activity, doing it regularly helps.”
Thus, although the benefits of taking a daily nap are immediate, the cumulative advantages for brain health will come with the habit.
“Over the last five decades, we have experienced a 25% loss in sleep hours. The coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated this situation by altering sleeping habits, increasing the use of artificial light and increasing stress levels,” he said in a previous note from Infobae the doctor Daniel Perez Chadapresident of the Argentine Sleep Foundation and director of the Sleep Clinic of the Austral University Hospital.
As a result of this, according to the specialist, “a growing number of people face difficulties falling asleep and sleep fewer hours.”
For him, “incorporating a nap into the daily routine is presented as a viable solution to mitigate the negative effects of sleep deprivation.” Furthermore, “this brief period of rest during the day can be essential for restore energy and improve concentration”.
In that sense, researchers from University College London (UCL) and University of the Republic in Uruguay They discovered that even short daytime breaks can benefit the brain. A recent study revealed that short naps could play a key role in preservation of brain healthespecially in advanced stages of life.
It happens that around age 20, the brain begins to shrink, which increases the risk of dementia and slows cognition. However, the researchers found, in people who nap, brain size is better preserved, which acts as a prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
The American Dream Foundation insists on recommending that “the duration of the nap for adults should not exceed 30 minutes”.
“Breaking for 20 minutes allows the napper to have a light sleep to increase alertness.” without entering a deep sleep”, highlighted the specialists.
The thing is that “waking up from a deep sleep can cause grogginess and, in fact, worsen drowsiness,” they noted. Likewise, the need for prolonged daytime rest could be indicative of sleep disorders, depressive conditions or underlying pathologies.”
Gamaldo maintained that a nap of this duration can improve cognitive function and performance, and at the same time “it will be short enough to avoid deep sleep, from which it is more difficult to wake up.” She calls this extension of daytime rest the “magic window.”
Finally, Dr. Seema Khosla, a doctor specializing in sleep medicine and presenter of Talking Sleepa podcast from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine “It is best to stay in the lighter phases of sleep rather than the deeper phases, where it is sometimes a little more difficult to wake up.”
“If you take a longer nap, say two hours, that almost becomes an additional period of sleep,” he said, “which could mean that the person is breaking up the traditional seven to nine hours of sleep into shorter periods of sleep.” . That’s not necessarily a problem, but it is something to keep in mind when considering the general sleep hygiene”.
