- Experts say short naps can eliminate cluttered thoughts from the brain.
- Researchers say people over 60 who take a nap perform better on cognitive tests than those who don't take a nap.
- Experts say napping can benefit people of any age by allowing the brain to rest and clear our daily thoughts.
- An expert said that the best time to take a nap is between 1 pm and 3 pm, with an interval of 10 to 30 minutes.
- Another expert warns that long naps may be a sign that a person is not getting enough sleep at night. Naps suck.
- Some people believe that taking a nap is a sign of laziness, low energy or even illness.
But a new study suggests that if you're over 60, an afternoon nap may make your mind sharper. Researchers say older adults who nap in the afternoon score higher on cognitive tests than those who don't nap. The study, published in the journal General Psychiatry, looked at the physical and cognitive health of 2,214 people over the age of 60 living in large cities in China. Among them, 1,534 cases took naps regularly, while 680 cases did not take naps.
Observational study found that nappers scored significantly higher on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a standard dementia screening test that measures visuospatial skills, attention span, problem-solving, Assessment of working memory, positional awareness, and oral fluency. Children who nap do particularly well in the latter three categories, according to research led by Dr. Sun Lin of the Shanghai Mental Health Center and Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Center. Sleep has a lot to do with your ability to learn, Napping can help your brain recover from burnout or information overload. When you take a nap, your brain clears unnecessary information from its temporary storage areas in preparation for absorbing new information.
The benefits go beyond mental acuity
The study group (both nappers and non-nappers) averaged 6.5 hours of sleep per night. A nap is defined as at least 5 consecutive minutes of sleep anytime after lunch, but not more than 2 hours. Nappers were asked how often they took naps in a typical week. Responses ranged from once a week to once a day. One weakness of the study is that the researchers did not ask participants how long or what time of day they took their naps.
Ideally, a healthy nap should be taken between 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. and last from 10 to 30 minutes. If you can get some light sleep in the afternoon, there will be some huge benefits. There is evidence that napping is helpful for improving mood, energy, and productivity while reducing anxiety and physical and mental stress. A short nap can help you feel alert and ready to tackle the rest of the day without the feeling of "sleep inertia" where you feel confused, disoriented, and restless when you wake up. If you can nap for a longer period of time (such as 60 minutes), there's evidence that napping for that length of time can actually help you study. During longer naps, your brain will begin to transfer memories from your temporary holding device (the hippocampus) to their permanent home in the cortex.
Not all naps are healthy
A survey conducted in 2009 showed that more than one-third of Americans take a nap every day. While other research suggests napping improves mental agility, it's less clear that napping protects against the cognitive decline that occurs with age. Anyone can benefit from a short mid-afternoon nap, especially when natural circadian rhythms are in place. Short naps (less than 30 minutes or so) have been shown to increase alertness, improve cognitive performance, and improve mood for the rest of the day. However, longer naps can be problematic, with two hours indicating that more pathology may be hiding and leading to the need for increased naps. If you frequently nap for longer than 1 hour, it may be a sign that you are not getting enough nightly sleep quantity and/or quality. Many sleep disorders may mask the quality or quality of your sleep. Poor sleep habits may also be playing a role. This is often noticed with screens and bright lights and long work hours.
In older adults, medical conditions and/or the medications used to treat them can also affect sleep quality and quantity. Certain blood pressure medications, arthritis medications, muscle relaxants, and certain mental health medications may negatively affect sleep quality. More research is needed to determine whether older adults need more sleep, including more naps, suggesting the body is trying to compensate for increased inflammation associated with cognitive decline and dementia. Are neurodegenerative changes causing sleep/wake disturbances (such as dementia), or the other way around? .
