Have you ever observed that you feel very drowsy in the afternoon? You just are finding a place where you can sleep. Sometimes napping is refreshing for you. But many times you think it was a bad idea. Is afternoon nap good or bad for your health? What is the possible reason behind afternoon drowsing? What could be the possible benefits of an afternoon nap? So, we are checking the impacts of an afternoon nap in the light of different experiments performed by many scientists.
What is a Nap?
Short time period of sleep during day is called a nap.
Sleep or nap? Possible difference
Nap and sleep could be differentiating by the amount of time and part of the day. Nap is a short sleep period during the day. And sleep could be any time including night sleep and naps etc.
Types of a nap
- Habitual nap: Many people around us sleep at the same time each day. It is their daily routine. This type is called a habitual nap.
- Planned nap: Sometimes you are not feeling drowsy but you just go to bed and fell asleep. This type is called a preparatory or planned nap. That means you planned to sleep before actual sleep.
- Emergency nap: Emergency naps are usually common to observe. Neither you are habituated of sleeping during the day nor pre-planned. You just feel sleepy and tired and here you fell asleep.
Time of a nap
It is usually between ends between 20 minutes to 2 hours in a day. But it could vary among people.
Hormones behind sleep
There are many hormones that control sleep like thyroid hormones, hormones secreted from adrenal glands. But among all two hormones name “Melatonin” and “Cortisol” are very crucial.
Role of Melatonin
Melatonin is the major hormone that controls sleep. It is a dark dependent hormone. That means its release depend on the presence and absence of a light stimulus. The absence of light gives a stimulus to the brain to release the melatonin. When this hormone has released this trend you to sleep.
Role of Cortisol
Cortisol controls the circadian rhythm and sometimes sleep. They can control sleep. In the afternoon there is a high level of cortisol is observed in the body. It is a light-independent hormone. Thus, it can not only make you feel drowsy but also make it your daily habit.
All possible positive impacts of an afternoon nap on the human body
Many scientists and researchers did many sleep analyses on many personals. They come out with many benefits. Here we come with the outcomes of them. And sharing possible positive impacts of an afternoon nap on your health of body and mind,
- Improvement in memory
- Excellent learning
- Enhanced alertness
- Reduced stress
- Immunity booster
- Efficient work productivity
- Fewer mood swings
- Reduce fatigue
- Reduce accidents
- Combat diseases in many ways
1. Improvement in memory
Napping can improve your memory. The experiment was conducted on two groups. These groups are provided with different vocabulary words. One group was said to take a nap. And the other was waking all the time. It was observed that the group who took the nap was far good at recalling the vocabulary words. Thus, a nap can improve memory.
2. Excellent learning
Following, the previous experimental criteria. It was suggested that the nap takers had learned new vocabulary words more quickly than the non-takers. Moreover, they had learned useless words also. In consequence, nap improves learning.
3. Enhanced alertness
Caffeine is a neuron stimulator. It increases alertness and activeness in the human body. Mostly its intake is banned in the form of drugs. It is also found in many foods in that form it is fair to intake. It is present in coffee beans, black tea, dark chocolate, etc. The 90 minutes nap is found as strong as the caffeine to making someone alert.
4. Reduce stress
Have you observed that if you did not get proper sleep at night? You feel stressed and lethargic the whole day. But if you take an afternoon nap you feel more relax. Poor sleep increases the stress hormone. These stress hormones increase BP, blood glucose levels, and heart rate. But a power nap can restore this situation.
Read Also: Activities To Reduce Stress Quickly
5. Immunity booster
Many researchers have revealed that your immunity largely depends on your sleep and mood. When you are happy it gives a boost to your immunity. Poor sleep can destroy your body defense. Napping is considered as a reversal of night sleep. Thus, it will help your body to heal itself for some extent.
6. Efficient work productivity
When you are less stressed and less fatigued. Ultimately it will play a positive impact on your working efficiency. In the above discussion, we already know that it increase learning, memory, and alertness. These factors result in a high working yield.
7. Fewer mood swings
The mood is dependent on your hormonal system. More stress hormones more bad mood you have. Napping is restoring the optimal amount of hormones in the body. That means it can improve your mood.
8. Reduce fatigue
Poor night sleep makes you fatigued and tired. Nap can prove as a good jolt for repenting the night sleep loss.
9. Reduce accidents
Increased alertness and less stress both cause fewer accidents to happen.
10. Combat diseases in many ways
Lack of sleep is the root of different diseases. These diseases include obesity, depression, hypertension, diabetes, and many more. The nap can help someone out if these diseases are due to poor night sleep.
Adverse Impacts of an afternoon nap
Different studies also showed the negative impacts of an afternoon nap. These many include;
- Sleep inertia
- Night sleep problem
- High level of C- reactive protein
- Change in sleeping pattern
1. Sleep Inertia
Sleep inertia is a common problem when you wake up. You feel lethargic and lost. This sub-conscious state and called sleep inertia. You might face this after napping.
2. Night sleep problem
When you sleep at day can fulfill your sleep requirement. That means your body doesn’t need to sleep at night. Congratulations now you are waking all night alone!
3. High level of C- reactive protein
Few researchers revealed that irregular or excess sleep can be dangerous. It can increase the level of C- Reactive proteins. C- Reactive proteins cause systematic inflammation. This type of inflammation is observed in cancer, depression, diabetes, etc.
4. Change in the sleeping pattern
Afternoon napping can change the sleep pattern. It is possible that you feel slummy all day and stays active all night. Consequently, you feel tired the whole day.
Author’s View
There is no sufficient data in regard to the afternoon nap. There are both good and adverse impacts of an afternoon nap. Some researchers believe it is a powerful booster. On the other hand, many suggest not sleeping during the day. Night sleep is irreplaceable. Night sleep is a natural phenomenon. If you infer in Nature’s laws it will cost you. But if it is a crucial need to sleep during the day. You can follow many tips that can minimize your loss and can maximize benefits. Don’t take it more than 90 minutes. Choose the time of 3:00 pm. Make sure your room is dark, quiet, and comfortable.
