There is an assumption in society that napping makes you fat. In fact there are various benefits of napping that you can feel. In fact, the benefits of napping relatively outweigh the possible negative effects.
According to research, napping can make you feel more relaxed, your mood (mood) to be positive, reduce fatigue, increase alertness, and improve body performance. In addition, there are still many benefits that you can feel behind the habit of sleeping during the day.
Facts about Napping Habits
To answer the assumption that it is true that naps make you fat, it's a good idea to consider the following important facts from naps:
- Overcoming sleep deprivationAccording to research, napping can be used as a solution to treat sleep deprivation. A 15-20 minute nap is enough to refresh the body and increase alertness, energy, and motor performance.
- Improve memory functionA study revealed that a 5-minute nap can improve memory function. This is supported by other studies that say naps of less than 30 minutes can improve alertness, performance, and learning ability. In addition, naps of 30-60 minutes can help improve memory and creativity and help memorize vocabulary or remember directions. Finally, napping 60-90 minutes is considered to play a role in making new connections in the brain and solving creative problems.
- Lowering blood pressureOne study revealed that napping can lower blood pressure. Seeing a number of benefits that can be felt, you don't need to worry if you have a nap habit. The most important thing is that you take a nap as needed and not too long.
Ideal Nap Time
Although it has a number of benefits, naps should not be too long. Because napping for more than 30 minutes can actually cause sleep inertia, namely cognitive disorders that occur after waking up. In addition, it is feared that napping for more than one hour can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 46%.
According to another study, napping of more than 90 minutes is thought to increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by as much as 50%. Metabolic syndrome includes conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and excess fat around the waist.
In order to get a maximum nap, soundly, and without causing deeper drowsiness, you can apply several things such as:
- Looking for a comfortable placeYou are advised to search and find a place that you feel comfortable or in a dark room (you can also wear a blindfold). The absence of light can help you fall asleep faster.
- Limiting nap hours
Naps should be short enough. It is recommended to take a nap for 20-30 minutes only. Don't forget to set an alarm for example on your cell phone or watch so you don't sleep too late.
- Avoid sleeping too lateStart napping between 13:00 and 15:00 and wake up between 16:00 or 17:00. Waking up from a nap later than 17:00 can actually make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
- Listening to relaxing music
If you have trouble falling asleep, it is recommended to listen to relaxing music or boring radio broadcasts. This can help you fall asleep even if only briefly.
Until now, it has not been proven that naps make you fat or gain weight. If you take naps regularly, you will actually get many health benefits.
