Lao Zhang, who is nearly 60 years old, has always been in good health, but recently he has always felt very tired, even if he does not go out, just lying at home to rest, his body feels very tired.
Lao Zhang's daughter learned of this and quickly hung up the expert number of the neurology department of the third-class hospital to Lao Zhang, for fear that something would go wrong with Lao Zhang's body.
After a comprehensive examination of Lao Zhang's body, the doctor found that there was no major problem, but some of the more common middle-aged and elderly underlying diseases.
As usual, the doctor asked Lao Zhang if he usually had the habit of taking a nap.
Lao Zhang replied that he had rarely taken naps for decades, but last month he came across an article online saying that the longer the nap, the longer a person lives.
So since the beginning of this month, he has taken a nap as soon as he has finished lunch, often sleeping for two or three hours. It is not clear whether it is extended or not, but it is a fact that Lao Zhang feels very tired after waking up from his nap, and sometimes he can't slow down all afternoon, and he is not energetic in doing things.
As soon as the doctor heard Lao Zhang's answer, he found the reason why Lao Zhang always felt tired.
It turned out that Lao Zhang's physical problems were caused by the wrong way of napping.
So, is napping a injury or a health benefit? How can we get into the habit of taking a scientific nap?
First, the benefits of napping to human health
In modern fast-paced life, lunch breaks have become an important way for people to reduce fatigue and improve work efficiency.
As we all know, a midday nap has many benefits for good health.
1. Nap can improve memory and learning ability
Studies have shown that people's thinking skills and judgment increase after lunch breaks. This is because napping gives the mind and body the opportunity to rest and recover.
During the morning learning process, our brain is always in a highly active state, constantly receiving and processing new information. This high-intensity cognitive activity drains our energy.
Napping helps to recover and replenish these depletion, boosting our cognitive abilities and intelligence.
In addition, napping helps improve concentration and concentration.
When we work or study continuously for a period of time, our brain will gradually fatigue, resulting in distraction and reduced efficiency.
After the nap, we will feel more energetic and more focused, which can better maintain focus and be more productive.
Long-term lunch breaks can also promote the development of neural networks for memory and thinking in the brain, and improve the level of intelligence.
2. Napping has a positive effect on cardiovascular health
According to relevant medical studies, napping not only helps our physical and mental health, but also reduces blood pressure and the risk of heart attack.
One benefit of napping is that it reduces tension in the body.
When we feel nervous, the body secretes stress hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol, which increase the burden on the cardiovascular system, and long-term cardiovascular burden may lead to increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
In a short nap, we can relax our muscles and relieve fatigue, thereby reducing tension in the body.
Midday naps can also help us relieve our mood, keep us happy, and maintain a healthy heart.
In our daily lives, we face a variety of stresses and challenges that can be physically and mentally exhausting, depressed, and negatively affect heart health.
Staying happy and relaxed is essential for heart health. Positive emotions reduce the release of hormones and reduce the burden on the cardiovascular system, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
Taking a nap reduces stress, relieves anxiety, promotes physical and mental balance, improves mood, and protects heart health. 3. Nap can also enhance human immunity
The stress of work and life in the morning will bring people a sense of physical fatigue, and it will also negatively affect the body's immunity.
This is because stress causes the body to secrete stress hormones that inhibit the function of the immune system.
Lunch breaks can help restore strength and reduce stress, thereby improving the body's immunity.
Studies have shown that lunch breaks can increase the number of antibodies degraded by lymphocytes and cells.
Lymphocytes are a key component in the immune system and help the body recognize and fight viruses and bacteria.
Cell degradation is a process in the body that breaks down garbage and damaged parts of cells, and it can help remove waste products and pathological products from the body.
In addition to increasing the number of immune cells, lunch breaks can also help the body release melatonin. Melatonin is considered to be a substance that regulates the body's biological clock, helps promote sleep and maintain quality sleep.
Lunch breaks can provide us with time to rest, thus better regulating the secretion of melatonin and enhancing the body's ability to fight viruses and bacteria.
In addition, lunch breaks can also stimulate the body to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter, which relaxes the mood, which in turn helps to strengthen the function of the immune system.
Second, remember the 4 nap standards, health is getting closer and closer to you
Lunch breaks can help people regain strength, improve concentration and protect their health after a busy morning. However, napping is not a blind lie down can play a role, a reasonable nap standard can really bring health closer and closer to us.
1. The first criterion is to pay attention to mastering the nap time
While napping can relieve fatigue, taking a nap too long will not only make it difficult to fall asleep at night, but it will also make the body feel exhausted.
Therefore, a reasonable nap time should be between 20-30 minutes. This time period is enough for our body to rest without disrupting the normal sleep rhythm at night.
2. The second criterion is the creation of a nap environment
When napping, we should choose a quiet, comfortable, and temperature suitable environment.
Try to avoid falling asleep in noisy sounds and irritating light, and if possible, you can use earplugs or sunshields to help us fall asleep better.
At the same time, to keep the indoor temperature suitable during the nap, you can choose a place with air circulation, which can help us enter a deep sleep more easily.
3. The third criterion is mental relaxation during naps
Before taking a nap, we can do some relaxing stress-reducing activities, such as listening to music, reading, etc., to help us relax and reduce daytime stress.
At the same time, you should try to avoid strenuous exercise or consuming a lot of caffeine before napping, so as not to affect the effect of napping.
4. The last criterion is to maintain a regular nap
It is recommended to develop a regular napping habit and choose a fixed time period for the lunch break, which can help the body adjust the rhythm to adapt to the nap and make the lunch break more effective.
Of course, for those who often stay up late, a fixed lunch break may not be easy to achieve, but you can try to find a feasible nap time according to the actual situation of the individual.
III. Summary
With the above 4 napping criteria in mind, we can get closer and closer to health.
It's also important to note that napping isn't for everyone.
Some special groups such as people with insomnia, heart disease, etc. should avoid napping.
At the same time, we also need to correctly understand the role of napping.
While napping can help us regain strength and improve focus, it doesn't compensate for the lack of sleep the night before.
A period of lunch break is not a substitute for a good night's sleep, so we still need to ensure adequate night's sleep.
While enjoying naps, you should also pay attention to maintaining a regular sleep time and develop good sleep habits.
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