Although it is recommended to have 8-hour sleep every day, a nap can also help you reboot and recreate your day. A nap is especially recommended for people who do not get enough night sleep. In addition, there are healthy benefits that you can get by having a few minutes of sleep in the middle of your day.
Having a nap can actually be good therapy for people feeling frustrated. According to a research by scientists at the University of Michigan, a nap is good for people who are under frustration.
In the study, participants took part in a frustrating task involving drawing of geometric designs on a computer screen. From the study, those who took a one-hour nap before their task managed to draw for 90 seconds. On the other hand, another control group did not take a nap but instead watched a nature documentary. This group gave up the challenge in 45 minutes.
A nap helps to increase your alertness, reduce accidents and mistake, and improve your performance. NASA conducted on sleepy military pilots and found that those who took a 40-minute had a 34% improvement in their performance and 100% alertness.
You can take a nap mid-way in your driving journey or when doing a difficult task to increase your alertness.
An hour long nap can help improve your memory. A study conducted by researchers in German found that an hour long nap can help improve your ability to remember information. The study had two groups of participants. Each group was assigned specific words and pairs to remember. One grouped napped and another watched a DVD. When asked their words and pairs, those who took a nap performed five times better than those who watched.
Having a regular nap helps you develop creative skills. This is because the brain processes much information when we are asleep. Just like a night long sleep, a nap in the course of your day can help you get inspired.
According to a study on 23,000 Greek adults taking midday nap helps reduce heart attack by 30%.