Saturday, October 10, 2009

What Are the Benefits Of a Nap?



Taking a nap...is it good or bad?My opinion is that taking a nap is bad because it waste time. You only need 8 hours of sleep no more... that's just my opinion though; I wanted to find out what science has to say about it... “Short naps have been found to be very beneficial for us. It seems natural to want to get a nap in after we have had lunch. If you feel like you need a short nap it may help you feel better if you can take that nap" (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/234046/taking_a_nap_is_good_for_you.html?cat=25).


That's great and all but, I wanted to know what specific health benefits happen from taking a nap. It is true though, I do feel more alert after taking a nap. There are times when I was so stressed out that I couldn't think anymore and couldn't even watch TV because I had a head ache. The only thing I could do was sleep. So I took a nap because I couldn't sleep for the night and I found that my head ache was gone and I could think clearly again. Also my heart beat seemed to be slower. In fact, taking a nap is so beneficial that " A six-year Greek study found that those who took a 30-minute siesta at least three times a week had a 37% lower risk of heart-related death" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6354855.stm). That is very interesting, but my question is why is that mentioned for men? Couldn't women be affected as well because don't both sexes have a heart! Lol. Anyways, I guess taking a nap is not such a waste of time because it can improve your performance.


It seems I wasn't the only one wondering this question. Tami from yahoo answers stated “I really like napping. When I'm really happy I don't want to have one though, so it's really a tough call. North Americans don't do it but Mediterranean do every day. I think Mediterraneans are much healthier people" (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Auhs0oCIoDpqRI8S_2nx.YojzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070524194907AApGO5c). I guess sleep is a universal thing. It is true a lot of people take naps just right after they eat. Mickey says “It all depends. If you are getting proper sleep and still can't function in the morning and have to have a nap to make it through until the end of the day...go see your doctor. If you need 20-30 min to perk up in the afternoon, it’s find. Some companies in Japan have sleep rooms set up for their staff to have a 20 minutes rest everyday" (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Auhs0oCIoDpqRI8S_2nx.YojzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20070524194907AApGO5c ). That's pretty cool! I would love to take a nap while at work.
It reminds me of preschool when we use to take naps at school. Taking a nap is important for people in college especially, as well as those who are trying to get their PHD. I always studying at the Medical Research Building and I see people who are trying to get their PHD up during horrible times such as 2-6am. I always wondered when they caught up on sleep and when they actually did sleep. Now that I think of it, they probably took a lot of naps. All this talk about naps, actually make me want to take a nap...lol. I change my mind I think naps are good! I think I'll take one now! ZzZzZz

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