5 Different Types Of Naps And Reasons Why You Should Take Them!
Feel like napping? Don’t feel guilty! Your body is more than likely trying to tell you something…
Napping has numerous health benefits that many people may not realize. Short naps can help with your overall health and productivity by boosting your energy, creativity and heart health.
According to The Sleep Foundation, naps can be categorized depending on the function they serve. Here are 5 different types:
Recovery Nap: If you are up late or have interrupted sleep at night, you might take a recovery nap the next day to compensate for sleep loss.
Prophylactic Nap: This type of nap helps prepare for sleep loss. Work the night shift? Take a nap before or during (if your work allows) to prevent sleepiness during your shift.
Appetitive Nap: Appetitive naps are taken by those who just plain enjoy taking naps! They are often relaxing and can improve your mood and energy level upon waking.
Fulfillment Nap: These naps are scheduled into the days of infants and toddlers and can occur spontaneously in children of all ages.
Essential Nap: When you are sick, you have a greater need for sleep. Naps taken while you are sick are and should be considered essential. Your immune system mounts a response to fight infection and/or promote healing which requires extra energy that naps can assist in providing.
4 reasons why you should catch some zzz’s:
Naps can charge your brain’s battery: Taking a nap may make you more alert for the period right after you wake up and possibly hours into the day. A short happy-nappy can also make you feel more relaxed.
They can help lower risk for heart problems : Taking a nap once or twice a week could lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes, according to a 2019 study published in the journal Heart. After tracking more than 3,400 people between the ages of 35 and 75 for a little over five years, research has found that people who took occasional naps one-two times a week, for five minutes to an hour, were 48% less likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or heart failure than those who didn’t nap at all.
It could help you get into shape: A lack of quality sleep could lead to overeating because inadequate sleep is believed to kick-start hunger and suppress hormone signals that make you feel full.
Naps can help boost creativity: The right side of your brain may experience a mental spark during a nap, research has suggested. The right side is the hemisphere most associated with creative tasks, like visualization and thinking, while the left is more analytic.
…now, go take a nap!
