The 3 psychological benefits of taking a nap.

Extra reasons to enjoy a nap from time to time.

Adaptation to modern life throughout history has meant that humans have lost the habit of being polyphasic when it comes to sleep. In fact, there seems to be evidence that, like the rest of the animal kingdom, early man also alternated sleep-wake cycles throughout the day.

Many studies seem to indicate that taking a snooze after eating brings many health and mental benefits. Therefore, napping will have a beneficial effect on your wellbeing and can increase your alertness and can increase your alertness, your concentration or your productivity.

Psychological benefits of napping: discovering the art of 'napping'.

As we already read in the article "7 Psychological Signs You're Not Getting Enough Sleep", sleep is absolutely essential for good health.

Since many researches show that napping can lead to an improvement in psychological well-being, some companies such as Google, Nike, AOL or The New York Times give time to their employees so that they can nap in the office with maximum comfort. Napping is a way to recover energy and be in a better mood. Companies that have adopted the "napping culture" have armchairs or even beds where they can rest for a while.

The historical origin of the siesta

For some experts in the matter, the siesta has its origin in the 11th century and comes from one of the rules of the monastic order of Saint Benedict: rest and tranquility in the sixth hour (canonical), which was the period of time between twelve o'clock and three o'clock. This rule referred to the fact that the religious should go to bed in total silence to rest and regain energy for the rest of the day. This was the origin of the word "sextear" or "to keep the sexta". Over time, this custom spread and was adopted by other monasteries and the population in general. Although it seems to be only a Spanish tradition, the siesta is also present in parts of southern Europe and Latin America, in China, Taiwan, the Philippines and India.

The siesta also seems to have a physiological origin, as it is a natural consequence of the lowering of the Blood after heavy meals, which causes drowsiness.

Here we will discover exactly what are the two beneficial effects of taking a nap for our mental health.

1. Improves memory

The University of Haifa (Israel) and the Sleep Laboratory of the Sheba Medical Center (Tel Aviv) demonstrated that napping brings benefits to memory. This study, in collaboration with researchers from the Psychology Department of the University of Montreal (Canada), concluded that napping has an important role in memory consolidation and learning.

2. Increases your ability to learn

Complementing the positive effects on your memory, taking a nap also has positive effects on your ability to learn. The University of California provided evidence that by resting the mind during a nap, we are helping our brain to learn more things after waking up.. 

Along the same lines, research carried out by Harvard University and New York University found that taking a short nap significantly improves memory and learning, but also has a positive effect on mood. mood.

3. Napping and working better

According to NASA studies, taking a nap improves alertness, performance, reduces errors and accidents at work. In this study, carried out to its pilots and astronauts, it was found that a 26-minute nap is able to increase up to 35% the performance and 55% the alertness level.

If the "nap" is 40 minutes, it improves alertness by up to 100%. Attention and reaction time also seem to benefit from napping according to a study by Kimberly Cote, professor and neuropsychologist at Brock University. According to her study, people who do not make use of this "moment of relaxation." may feel more fatigued, be more likely to make poor decisions and have a higher risk of workplace accidents.. Naps can increase alertness in the period immediately after a nap, and this alertness can extend to a few hours later in the day.

Some tips for a good nap

• The ideal is a short nap, about 20 to 30 minutes. This time is enough to benefit from a better state of alertness and increased performance without feeling groggy.

• To prevent the nap from affecting sleep patterns during the night and to avoid complications in falling asleep at night, it is preferable not to take a nap too late in the day.

• Taking care of the napping environment will greatly affect the time of rest and the ability to fall asleep. To make the most of this time, you should look for a comfortable place, with little light, no noise and a pleasant temperature.