Why You Should Take a Nap?
Though short naps may seem like the territory of the old or of tiny tots, a well-times nap is recommended for all adults alike. Did you know that a short nap can be more restorative than a cup of coffee? Yes, naps can elevate your mood, increase your alertness and better your memory power as well.
People in the warm equatorial belts like the Philippines and Spain follow typical tradition called the “siesta”. People in these places stick to a regular pattern of going home for lunch, spending quality time with their family and finally take a post-meal nap.
Researchers are of the opinion that people living in these warm equatorial climates suffer from fewer heart-related ailments. Though warm temperatures and a filled stomach can automatically lull you off to sleep, there is one reason why sleepy afternoons are common – like all mammals humans too experience forceful or persuasive sleep at 2-4 am in the morning and at 1-3 pm in the afternoon.
The sleep cycle actually stretches across 5 stages. Experts claim that human beings can derive maximum benefits from well-timed naps without having to sleep for 8 hours. This also explains that a nap should not be misunderstood as a substitute for 6-8 hours of sleep.
5 Sleep Stages
The 5 stages of sleep experienced by people include:
- Stage 1: Initial 5-10 minutes of sleep stage goes on closing your eyes and falling into the slumber state. It is this stage where the experts recommend people to hit the “power nap” of 30 minutes which can boost your energy levels and concentration to spend the rest of your afternoon.
- Stage 2: This stage constitutes the next 20-30 minutes where your body prepares for deep sleep. At this stage your heart rate slows down, temperature falls and your muscles relax.
- Stage 3-4: This sleep stage constitutes the next 45 minutes period where you gradually go into what is called the “slow-wave sleep”. This sleep stage encourages your declarative memory to remember facts and reason or explain them.
- Stage 5: The finals stage of sleep stretches across 90-120 minutes where you enter the world of dreams and where your sleep state is characterized by what is called the “rapid eye movement”. Here, your heart rate and respiration also pick pace.
Nap Tips
Some essential nap tips that you may have never thought of before are listed here below:
- Short Nap: Your nap should not be longer than 1 hour
- Lean Back or Rest: The ideal position to take a nap is to rest or lea back on something. So if you’re not getting a bed or couch to sleep on just close your eyes while sitting your chair for a few minutes
- Best Place: Your nap environment should be dim lit, peaceful, safe and little warm. Sleep masks also work well in providing the darkness required to get sleep.
- Setting Nap Intention: Set a limit like a 20-minute nap for yourself and do not extend or fall into deep sleep after that. You could probably make use of a timer or alarm for to give you a wakeup call.
Though getting a nap is difficult in our hectic schedules of work and home; there are some offices which are becoming sleep and eco-friendly. You can catch up on a few winks while the lights dim during lunch hours. The again, many sleep salons are coming up in cities where you can grab some sleep or a relaxing massage on the comfortable chairs and sleep pods provided.