Afternoon Nap is Associated With Better Mental Agility, Here's Why

An afternoon nap is beneficial to the body despite having a bad reputation, as some see it as a sign of laziness, having low energy, or illness.

But the findings of a study, entitled "Relationship between afternoon napping and cognitive function in the aging Chinese population" and published in the journal General Psychiatry, suggest that an afternoon nap could make a person mentally sharper, especially for those over 60 years old.

The researchers said that older adults who take an afternoon nap tend to score significantly higher on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) than those who do not, according to Science Daily.

MMSE is a standardized cognitive test for screening dementia that assesses verbal fluency, visuospatial skills, attention span, problem-solving, locational awareness, and working memory.

According to experts, sleep plays an important role in the capacity to learn as it helps the brain to overcome burnout and information overload. The brain is being cleared out of unnecessary information while the person is asleep.

How Long Should an Afternoon Nap Be?

The study group sleeps every night at an average of 6.5 hours. Meanwhile, an afternoon nap is defined as getting at least five consecutive minutes of sleep but less than two hours any time after lunch.

According to Somnus sleep coach Katherine Hall, an ideal amount of healthy nap should be anywhere from ten to 30 minutes between 1 PM to 3 PM. She told Healthline that suggests that an afternoon nap is great for improving mood, energy, and productivity. It also reduces anxiety and physical and mental tension.

She added that even a short nap could make a person feel alert and ready to face the rest of the day without feeling confused, disoriented, and groggy, or collectively known as 'sleep inertia.'

On the other hand, napping for 60 minutes could also aid in learning. During this period, the brain will start transferring memories from the hippocampus, which is the temporary holding facility of memories, to the cortex, the permanent home of memories.

What is a Power Nap?

Associate professor Dr. David Neubauer of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences said that there are many factors that could affect sleep patterns and quality.

But in order to take a power nap that boosts memory, cognitive skills, creativity, and energy level, Neubauer recommends taking up to 20 minutes of sleep to decrease the chances of slow-wave sleep that makes people feel the symptoms of sleep inertia, Sioux City Journal reported.

Moreover, he said that power naps are advisable to taken earlier in the afternoon to prevent negative impact when the person finally sleeps at night.

He also acknowledged the positive effects that a power nap could give to an older adult. However, he cautions that frequent taking of naps in the afternoon should not be due to a treatable nighttime sleep disorder.

At the end of the day, older adults should preserve their cognitive function by prioritizing nighttime sleep, Neubauer said.

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