Naps. They Do a Body Good!

March 16, 2011

Naps. We all want them, we all crave them, but not all of us allow ourselves to take them. Finding yourself in a nap midday can be one of life’s more enjoyable pleasures, but its also an indulgence we have grown to neglect. In our busy lives we find ourselves convinced that napping is not only not allowed, but frowned upon as it attacks the very core of your “super human” status in society. Well, the University of California, Berkeley, would like you to be the first to know, that the nap you have been avoiding, actually wouldnt harm your humanity at all. In fact, a nice midday siesta would indeed make you smarter, more alert, and increase your brain power for your super human day.

In a study done at the University, researchers found that adults who took a midday nap markedly outperformed those who did not on a challenging intellectual task late in the day. The adults were given a challenging task to learn at noon, all performing and learning at similiar rates. Then one group was given a 90 minute nap, while the other group was not . At 6pm, a new challenging task was given to each group and researchers saw the napping group consistently and aggressively outperform those who did not get the gift of a midday snooze. The results confirmed the researchers hypothesis that in fact as we sleep, the brain does a little housekeeping on itself, clearing out the dirt and making room for the new once we awake and continue our day.

The perfect regime? Get a good night’s rest every night. 8 hours would be nice. Include a 60 minute nap midday and you will find you and your brain in optimal health. Of course we still reccommend a balanced diet and excercise, but couple those factors with a fantastic sleep schedule and BAM! the super human you never knew existed will be running the show.

Information Courtesy of: www.aarp.com “Don’t Knock Naps – They Make You Smarter 

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