I have always loved afternoon naps. There is something so special about taking the time for an afternoon nap.
Certain cultures have built afternoon naps into their daily lives. In fact the whole town may shut down for a “Siesta”.
For us living here in the United States naps have become a luxury that few get to enjoy.
Studies have shown that naps are good for us adults and not just for children.
They do not disrupt the natural circadian sleep cycle, but in fact are a part of it.
Naps were once part of our survival mechanism. To stay alert for predators, we needed to nap during the day.
Even with a full nights sleep, as the day goes on, our focus and alertness can diminish.
A simple 15 minute power nap can rekindle our alertness and focus and actually help us be more productive for the remainder of our day.
Some companies such as Google and Apple have come to realize this and allow employees nap time.
Children who miss their nap time have shown to have less joy and show less interest. They tend to have more anxiety and are less skilled at problem solving than children who do nap.
Adults have shown the same trend.
Naps kinda reboot us. They clear out short term memories and our brain feels refreshed. We are more open to learning and our memory is once again enhanced.
Short term naps around 10 -20 minutes seem ideal. We call them power naps and they certainly do work. They are not long enough for us to go into deep sleep which allows us to get right back to work with increased energy and alertness.
Longer naps can lead to grogginess, though there are days we need longer 60 minute time outs.
If you have trouble sleeping at night you might find a 90 minute nap is just what you need to improve your own emotional health and creativity.
A 90 minute nap is actually a complete sleep cycle of its own.
NASA found naps to boost alertness in pilots. Pilots that took naps had a higher lever of alertness than those that did not.
Even a short 10 minute nap was effective in a least feeling more alert.
Though longer naps can have you waking up feeling groggy. The long term effect is that your mental fatigue has vanished.
In fact brain activity remains higher in Nappers all day than those who do not nap.
Naps give us a chance to actually solve problems. How many times have you suddenly seen the Light and the solution is there after taking a nap. It has been discovered that the right hemisphere of our brain shows a burst of activity after naps. This side of the brain is linked to creativity.
Ever feel you are being lazy for wanting to take a nap. Our productivity actually increases after naps. We actually work harder with improved results after a nap.
I love to take naps. And yes naps have shown to lift our spirits.
It is not just toddlers that need naps for a mood booster.
The National Sleep Foundation calls naps a “mini-vacation”.
Zap out Stress with a Nap!
It is not necessary to fall asleep for a nap to be effective. Just resting in bed or a reclined position gives you all the benefits.
Some even call napping meditation.
So start making time for naps, I mean meditation. What you call the time out is not important but do take the time for yourself.
You will love yourself all the more for it and have more love to share especially during this holiday season.
Happy Napping….
Together Our Hands Are Joined To Heal One Another…
